Kairos
by kaylamoons
Summary: Logan Malcolm was never one to follow rules, but always the one to follow her dreams. Against her father's wishes, she takes a job at Jurassic World, where everything she's ever dreamt of, good and bad, could come true. (Eventual OC/Owen) {Year after the Indominus Rex incident}
1. Chapter 1

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." -Lao-Tzu

* * *

" _Dear Dr. Logan D. Malcolm,_

 _Here at Masrani Global, we have heard about your father's past with our predecessor, InGen's, work. We extend our greatest apologies on their behalf, for what he may have experienced._

 _However, we have heard more about your great findings and thesis statements on the Smilodon. At your young age of twenty-three in the spotlight with brilliant findings, we find you to be much ahead of your time. This is a valuable asset we would love to acquire at our Jurassic World theme park. Discussion is poor over technology; words must be discussed face to face. Please respond to this email confirming a week that is suitable for you to travel and discuss. Your trip will be completely complimentary._

 _We look forward to hearing from you quite soon._

 _Simon Masrani. "_

My eyes read those words at least a thousand times; I literally could not believe what was in front of me. Shooting up from my relaxed position and into a standing stance, I scrambled through the piles of paper that cluttered my desk for my calendar. Having just graduated, I was sure that I had plenty of free time, except the few dig sites with Dr. Alan Grant that my father had set me up with. My fingers landed on the hard, leather bound agenda, pulling it out from underneath the stacks of papers which sent them flying across my office.

Searching through my calendar, I mapped out my plans. I had three weeks until I was scheduled to dig in the Midwest with Doctor Grant. I figured I had plenty of time, and had given Masrani Global enough time to coordinate flights and rooms. Hopefully, that was enough time to tell my father everything as well.

My father was not a fan of InGen or its successor, Masrani Global. Years ago when I was first born, my father was brought to Jurassic Park as a tax consultant. He was brought to scope out what could be liabilities to the park and in return would receive a large payment for doing so. This was something both he and my mother focused on after having to take care of a newborn baby along with my half-sister, Kelly. Having two children and a mortgage wasn't the easiest to balance when one income was from an archaeologist and the other, a mathematician.

Once on the island and seeing the situation he was put in, my father, Doctor Ian Malcolm, was horrified. The scientists were so preoccupied with what they could do; they didn't pause to think about whether they should. All the scientists and park managers assured the group (that included my father, Doctor Grant, Doctor Sattler along with a few others whose names I cannot recall) that they would be safe, technology and force would prevent anything from going wrong. What my father tried to tell the people of Jurassic Park, was that life finds its way no matter what you attempt to do to prevent it. He was proven absolutely right when all hell broke loose. Numerous people were killed by the escaped dinosaurs when technology proved faulty. My father himself nearly died when he was tossed several feet by a tyrannosaurus rex.

Three or four years after that; my mother Sarah, father, and sister Kelly found themselves on Isla Sorna, which was known as Site B. A second island that InGen used to breed new dinosaurs. They all found themselves face to face with death, literally when a family of Tyrannosaurs terrorized the colony of people on the island, and then became loose on the San Francisco docks before being returned back to the island. After those two horrific events, my fathered banned us from anything relating to prehistoric animals.

So naturally, me being a Malcolm and never following orders from others, I fell in love with prehistoric animals. I loved dinosaurs from the time I was five, I screamed and cried until my childhood bedroom was decorated like the Jurassic period. My first tattoo was of a brontosaurus on the back of my neck. When the time for college came, I majored in Paleontology at Virginia Tech, the United States' best college for it. This caused uproar in my household, my father going ballistic. I distinctly remember him telling me; "Logan Deborah Malcolm, if you even think about stepping foot onto that Island, I will kill you before the dinosaurs have a chance to!"

This caused me to strive for Paleontology even more. Eventually, my father came around and set my work study hours up with Doctor Grant. Virginia Tech was where I fell in love with prehistoric megafauna. The thought of mammals the size of firetrucks walking where I was, intrigued me. I spent hours upon hours doing extensive excessive research and writing papers, having my professors read them time and time again. They praised my work ethic and thoughts, saying not too many people cared for the megafauna anymore. The focus was on dinosaurs, because of the events that my father had endured.

While in Brazil in my junior year of college, I had dug up fourteen _S. populator_ skeletons. These were my favorite Pleistocene era megafauna, and they were also the largest subspecies of the Smilodon genus. The skeletons I had uncovered were mostly female and some were very small, which led me to an idea that no paleontologist had thought of before. I then wrote my thesis that stated Smilodon females grouped together before/after giving birth and banded together to protect and raise their cubs as a pride, much like big cats do today. As more dig sites around the world uncovered multiple skeletons at a time, my thesis was further proved. My thesis paper was published, and my discoveries quickly became a hit in the paleontology world. I had offers thrown at me left and right while finishing up my schooling, I liked to joke that I was a 'D list celebrity on good days'.

While this thrilled my family, the thrill quickly wore off for me. I yearned to work with actual prehistoric animals.

This was my perfect chance.

" _Dear ,_

 _Thank you so much for reaching out to me, I really appreciate this. I am absolutely amazed at this opportunity. Upon looking at my schedule, I am free to travel for the next three weeks. Please tell me what is good for you and my bags will be packed and ready to go._

 _Thank you again, Logan Malcolm"_

* * *

A week later, I found myself packed and ready to go for the following day. I did not find myself being completely honest with my parents. I had told my sister, who understood and urged me to take whatever job offer was being thrown at me.

"Take it Lo, live your life. Don't just settle for writing books and having children like other paleontologists, or dad. Go work with the animals you have loved your entire life." She had said after I called her, expressing my hesitations. Kelly knew me all too well to shoot anything down. Even if she didn't agree, she would never tell me. My sister was always supportive of my actions no matter what they were.

So here we all sat at a dinner table in my sister's house after making my father's favorite dish, chicken parmesan. If I'm being honest, Kelly and I just ordered it and placed it in a serving casserole dish.

I sat at the head of the table, my niece to my left, Kelly next to her with my ten month old nephew in her lap, her husband Billy sitting opposite of me, my father, and then my mother. So if I told my father and things went wrong, I had someone to stall him for a few seconds while I ran.

"Lo, what's up?" my father asked, pulling me from my thoughts as he took a bite off his fork, "You aren't hungry?"

"Oh no, I'm fine dad. I had a huge lunch today." _Lie_

If I hated anything more than rain or cold weather, it was lying to my father. He was always so honest with me and not telling him the truth made me feel like one of the worst things to ever walk the face of the Earth.

Kelly glared at me. She had urged me to tell him before dinner, but I wimped out. I knew this would go one of two ways and my gut told me it would go the horrible way. I quickly reached for my wine glass and averted my eyes from hers.

"Logan received a job offer last week." Kelly said, bouncing James on her lap as he cooed.

"Where Auntie?" asked my seven year old niece, Malia. She was a lighter version of Kelly, but her personality matched mine to a T. Which meant that it matched my father's as well. We were often titled 'the three musketeers'.

"Yeah, Logan, where?" my mother smiled, looking up at her dish briefly.

I silently cursed my sister in my head as I put my wine down and softly smacked my lips. Taking a deep breath, I looked up at my family who was eagerly awaiting my response.

"Jurassic World."

The clang of metal hitting glass echoed around the now silent dining room as forks were dropped onto plates. Kelly sucked in a deep breath and looked at Malia; "Malia baby, take your brother and go watch TV in the den." She smiled.

"But mommy! I want to hear about her new job with the dinosaurs!" Malia frowned. I sucked in a sharp breath, feeling my father's glare. Billy flashed me a look of sympathy as he took his son, standing up as he was doing so.

"This is not a conversation I need to be present for so I'll take them onto the deck." He said quickly, taking Malia's hand and leading her out of the dining room. I knew that the second we heard the sliding door close, all hell would break loose at the Malcolm family dinner table.

"Jurassic World? Logan you can't be serious do you even know what your father, sister and I even went through? Billy as well!" my mother exclaimed, her face turning as red as her hair.

"Yes mom, I do. And I'm sorry but that was what? Fifteen years ago? Technology wasn't as evolved then as it is now, it's safe." I said, swirling the wine around in my glass. I did not want to look at my father; I knew he was a ticking time bomb at this point. Nothing good would come out of this situation and we all knew it.

"Well what is the position?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"See, that's the thing. I'm flying there tomorrow to discuss with , the owner. I'm not quite sure but I know it has to do with the Smilodon populator."

My father erupted into laughter. Not funny laughter, very angry and sarcastic laughter. "You don't even know what your title is going to be? Oh my GOD, Logan. Please tell me this is a joke." He said, pushing his glasses up onto his head and rubbing his face with both hands.

My brows furrowed and I felt myself becoming defensive. "No, dad, I'm not kidding. I'm twenty-three years old; I'm not a child anymore. You and mom had no problem running off to the islands and you even dragged Kelly along. While your newborn daughter was home alone with her grandmother." I snapped.

"Logan." My mother warned, her dark green eyes meeting mine. Everything about me came from my father, except my eyes. We both had piercing blue-green eyes that became a dark green when we were angry.

"No mom, I love you both dearly and I know that you two are only like this to protect me, but I am not a little girl anymore. I'm getting on that plane and flying to Costa Rica to see what this job offer is because maybe I can actually fulfill my dreams that I have had for twenty years. I don't get why you two can't be as supportive as Kelly." I practically spat, my eyes darting back and forth between my mother and father.

"You knew about this?" my father asked, his head snapping towards Kelly. She sucked in a deep breath and flashed a dirty look at me, her way of saying 'Thanks for throwing me under the bus'. "Yeah dad, I did. I think we should be supportive, I mean it is her dream. She's my little sister; I'd do anything and support her in order to fulfill her dreams." Kelly said, looking at me then towards our father.

"And a tyrannosaurus rex or a velociraptor would do anything in order to make her his lunch." Dad shot back, his eyes boring into mine. I sucked my cheeks in; it was a huge struggle not to lose my shit on him.

"Dad, for the second time, this is relating back to the Smilodon populator, maybe they just want my input or want me there for good publicity."

"Oh that's even better. An eight hundred pound, four foot tall cat that hunted prey the size of mammoths. That is exactly what I want you around." My father chuckled.

Something inside of me settled the anger, and I decided to get up. Pushing my chair in, I looked at my parents who were staring at me.

"You know, it'd be nice to have some support every now and then from you two, but I forgot I'm not the Olympic gymnast in the family! Just some loser who loved to study the things you fear most because you can't get over an incident that happened two decades ago due to the wrong equipment and technology," I spat, shrugging on my leather jacket.

Looping my satchel handle over my head, I looked back at my parents and sucked my teeth. "So I will be in Costa Rica for a week. If you need me or want to apologize, call me. I'll be sure to let you all know whether or not I take the position. Otherwise, goodnight." I growled, storming out of my sister's house.

Logan: 0. Gut Feeling: 1000


	2. Chapter 2

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." –Henry David Thoreau

* * *

After a restless night, seven hour flight spent getting air sick or my chair kicked by a young child, and waiting two hours for my luggage: I finally found myself on the ferry heading towards Jurassic World. The humid, salty air was slightly comforting and I found my anxiety beginning to ebb. After about fifteen minutes, a large island came into view. It had two large mountains peaking on either sides of it covered in green canopy. The sight was absolutely mesmerizing.

Pulling into the dock, I felt like a little kid. I had always wanted to visit this place, even its predecessor. My father never even let us utter the words 'Jurassic Park' without laying into us about the chaos theory and why Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna proved it, if we had asked for a vacation here, he probably would have skinned us alive right on the spot.

Once I was sure I would not be trampled by a stampede of adolescent Homo sapiens, I stepped off the boat and onto the dock, adjusting my sunglasses and baseball cap before scanning my surroundings. Everywhere you looked there was greenery and bright open sky dotted with flying figures. I silently prayed to myself that these were just birds and not pterosaurs.

A loud whistle pulled me from my thoughts, and my eyes focused on a monorail system, a clusterfuck of tourists, and a tall, scruffy, dorky looking male (wearing a Jurassic Park t-shirt, at that) holding a sign with 'Dr. Logan Malcolm' printed on it. _Bingo, that's my ride._

"Doctor Malcolm! It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Lowery Cruthers, and I am a huge fan of your thesis on the Smilodon populator!" he babbled as I rolled my luggage over to him.

"You can call me Logan. Doctor Malcolm is my father." I said, shaking his hand before retracting my own to fan myself.

"I normally work in the control room but I just had to be the first person to meet you, I am absolutely star struck." He grinned. "I have the car and I'll take you to the hotel. Mister Masrani told me to let you know he'll be meeting you at dinner tonight around eight, oh and to look nice."

I scoffed, pretending to be hurt. Lowery's face immediately dropped and he launched into an episode of constant apologies.

"I am so sorry; you always look nice you are absolutely stunning. God I am so sorry. I just meant-"

"Cruthers, relax. I was kidding. It's not a big deal, I know what you meant." I laughed.

"I'm a total moron." He sighed, folding the piece of paper with my name on it. "Anyways, after making an ass out of myself, the car is this way. It's much better and faster than the monorail." He chuckled shyly, leading me towards a brand new Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe. I took a few seconds to look him up and down; studying his shirt before opening the door, appreciating the cool blast of the air conditioning hit my face. "Nice shirt." I chuckled, sliding in. Lowery groaned.

* * *

The hotel room was a bit excessive. And by a bit, I mean extremely.

Opening the door to the room, you were in the kitchen/living room area. It was wide open and decorated nicely, with most of the walls made from tinted glass. The back porch over looked the Mosasaur exhibit along with the monorail system that ran around it. It also gave me a view of what I can only assume, was referred to as a 'petting zoo'. If I squinted my eyes, I could see children petting and riding on baby Triceratops, Diplodocus and Gallimimus. The younglings seemed to have hues of blue, orange, green or even purple. Across the water was the Village, where I was sure multiple clothing, souvenir and coffee shops littered the street.

To the left of the living room, was the door to the bedroom. A perfectly made California king bed sat in the middle of the room, a large glass wall to the right overlooked the Mosasaur exhibit as well. The bathroom door was to the left of the room, and inside sat a glass shower along with a large hot tub.

I would only be using the bedroom and bathroom for the week, but I wasn't exactly complaining.

After unpacking, I sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, finally checking my phone. There was nothing from my mother or father, but a text message from my sister was enough to perk up my day:

 _Thinking of you, hope you landed safely. Sarah and Dad will come around, and if not then you always have us to support you. Malia and James send their love. Please call me when you get the chance Lo._

Tapping the call button next to her contact, I held the phone to my ear as I got up, walking over to the glass wall and gazing down at the Mosasaur. You could see the shadow of her frame underneath the waves and boy was she big. She had to be at least sixty feet long, large enough to destroy anything in her path. I wondered if the exhibit had other prehistoric aquatic animals as well.

"Logan! How are you!" came my sister's voice, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Hi Kell, I'm good I just got settled into my hotel room. It's beautiful here." I smiled, sitting on the granite windowsill.

"I'm glad you like it so far. Have you seen anyone? Or anything?" She asked, I was pretty sure she was washing dishes as I could hear the faucet running.

"Mm no one except this guy Lowery, he had volunteered to get me from the ferry. Apparently he really likes my thesis, and apparently me as well. I commented on his shirt, because it was a Jurassic Park shirt and once he realized who Dad was, he nearly shit himself." I chuckled folding my arms.

"You're awful, he's probably mortified," Kelly laughed, "Any dinosaurs?"

"Nothing up close, from my hotel room you can see the mosasaur exhibit. She's huge." I said, my eyes wandering over to focus on her exhibit again.

"And that's a?"

"An aquatic dinosaur. Kind of like a giant shark meets a giant crocodile and dolphin. They existed in the late Cretaceous period, aquatic lizards." My sister didn't know much about dinosaurs except the ones that she saw when she had stowed away on the RV and was on the island with my parents, clearly we were complete opposites.

"Sounds horrifying, I don't think I'll ever go in the water again now. Thank you Logan." She sighed as I laughed lightly.

"How are the kids? I didn't mean to leave without saying bye last night, I was just furious and you know how bad it gets when dad and I fight." I sighed, chewing the inside of my cheek.

"No, I know. It's fine, I told Malia that you had to leave for work right then. They miss you but they're fine and looking forward to your dinosaur stories, my child of a husband is as well."

I laughed, picturing Billy eagerly waiting for Kelly to get off the phone and tell him everything I had witnessed. "Did mom and dad say anything after I left?" I asked.

"Dad went on some spiel about you being too reckless with life and how you'll never find a job after this because you'll be dead. Then he mentioned something about an intervention-"

A spark of anger lit inside me. "An intervention? I'm sorry, I'm taking a job offer. Not drinking a liter of vodka a day."

"Lo, relax. Sarah is probably getting through to him as we speak."

"Mom is cool with it?" I asked, a look of shock spreading across my face. I knew my mother wouldn't be as riled up as my dad, but I knew she wasn't going to be peachy-keen with it. She had given up yelling at me when I was around sixteen, she knew that I was my father's daughter and nothing she said or did would get through to me. Not to mention, she was never a good listener as well. When she first went to Site B, my father had told her a million times not to go. Then the next thing he knew, he was meeting her in front of a pod of stegosauri. I think it's safe to say, my whole family has a listening problem.

"Well, she was pissed but she cooled off. While we were doing dishes she kept saying how you're old enough to make your own decisions and there's no stopping you." Kelly sighed; I could practically hear her rolling her eyes through the phone. "You're all hot heads, you're all going to cool off and once you tell them about the job offer, everything is going to be okay."

"You're probably right, but you will never hear me come right out and say it." I chuckled, Kelly laughing a bit as well.

"Anyways, I'm going to shower and take a nap. I'm meeting with the owner over dinner in a few hours." I said, kicking my shoes off and heading towards the bathroom.

"Alright, please be careful. I know I sound like Sarah but I'm a little concerned. Call me when you get a chance."

"I will, Kell. I promise. Love you." I smiled, turning the shower on.

"Love you too."

* * *

Deciding to make an impression, I went down to the hotel restaurant ten minutes early. Standing in the elevator, I smoothed over my dress a million times and checked my hair in the mirror. I felt good, and as the saying goes; "Feel good, look good."

My dress fit nicely, not too fitted or loose. It was a nice yellow that fell to my knees with an o-neck. I noticed that the nude heels I had paired with it were a bit too high for a business meeting, but it was too late to turn back now.

Stepping off the elevator, I spotted Mr. Masrani outside of the restaurant already. _Oh boy, I already fucked up._ Clearly in my world even when you try, you fail.

"Doctor Malcolm, hello there." He grinned, making eye contact as I strode over.

Simon Masrani was a business man by all means, but looking into his eyes, you could immediately tell that he was one of the kindest people on earth. He stood an inch or so taller than I, and looked to be in his late forties. He was dressed in a gray business suit, paired with a lavender colored shirt.

"Mr. Masrani, hello. Please, call me Logan. Doctor Malcolm is my father," I began; smiling, I'm sorry I thought I'd make a nice impression and be early, but clearly you beat me to it." I finished, laughing slightly as I shook his hand.

"Oh don't worry about it dear, you're not the late one. We're waiting on Miss Dearing and Doctor Wu, our operations director and lead geneticist."

My eyebrow rose at both of these titles. Clearly my potential job title was not just a reference point or keeper. Mister Masrani seemed to pick up on the curious look on my face, causing him to chuckle and pat my shoulder. "Don't worry dear, I know the suspense must be killing you. We will reveal our offer in no time."

"I think killing me may be an understatement at this point." I laughed slightly, crossing one leg in front of the other. The humid, tropical hair was beginning to make my hair frizzy and I longed to be back inside of an air conditioned room before I looked like a toy poodle.

Luckily, my wish was granted as two people strolled over to us. The red-headed lady, this I assumed was Miss Dearing, was dressed in an all-white business skirt suit and carried a brief case. Her blazer was draped carefully across her shoulders and her personality screamed 'workaholic'. She couldn't have been more than a few years older than me.

The Asian-American man dressed in black business pants and a black button up shirt, I assumed was Doctor Wu. He was definitely older than I but younger than Mister Masrani. He had less of an intimidating aura around him than Miss Dearing did.

I smiled as they approached closer and Mister Masrani began introductions. "Doctor Wu, Miss Dearing, this is Doctor Malcolm." He said as I extended my hand to shake theirs.

"Please, call me Logan. Doctor Malcolm is my father." I said, lightly laughing. "Claire, call me Claire." Smiled the red head.

"You wouldn't happen to be related to Doctor Ian Malcolm, would you?" asked the Doctor as we entered the restaurant, welcoming the cool air graciously.

"Doctor Ian Malcolm is my father actually." I said, flashing a smile. Doctor Wu's body stiffened and a forced smile spread across his face. I knew that he and my father were not fans of each other; my father often said that Doctor Wu was a crazed scientist obsessed with the power at his hands. Truth be told, I think the same could be said about Ian Malcolm as well.

Sitting down at the table, I crossed my legs and sat up straight. I was itching to find out why they wanted me to be employed at Jurassic World. I was hoping that Claire would shoot straight into the business proposal, she was already taking papers out of her brief case while typing on her phone. I could see why she held the business title that she did.

A waiter came along, pouring us each a glass of water and a glass of wine. We scanned the menu in the mean time, finally ordering salad as appetizers and our main course.

"So, I don't mean to be pushy," I said, clearing my throat after taking a sip of my water. I caught a smile spreading across Mister Masrani's face as I began to speak. "But, I am very excited and anxious to hear about your offer.". Mister Masrani and Claire's eyes looked right into mine, met as they shared a smile, and then looked back over to me. It was almost frightening how in sync their movements were.

"Well, Logan, we want to increase our flow of visitors," began Claire, shuffling the papers in her hand, "After the Indominus Rex incident, people were hesitant to come back. We heightened security features, built higher walls around enclosures, and added some new exhibits, rides and a larger waterpark. This of course, brought a good flow of visitors back."

Claire took a sip of her wine before continuing and looking at me once more. "So, we had an idea to add an asset that we think visitors will love. Thanks to the movie Ice Age, plenty of people love sloths and woolly mammoths and sabretooth tigers."

Suddenly, it clicked. A smirk spread across my face, and Mister Masrani's as he saw the excitement bubbling up inside me.

"You're making sabers?" I asked, my eyes darting at the three people around me.

"Well, only if you agree to come on as their lead behavioral analyst, keeper and researcher." Mister Masrani said, his smile nearly reaching his ears.

I sat back and laughed lightly, years of dreams and research were being presented in front of me.

"Your position holds great insurance, for obvious reasons. It includes dental, optometry and indeed OBGYN," Claire began reading off of the paperwork, her eyes never leaving the paper. A blush crept across my face as she mentioned obstetrics in front of two men, whom I barely knew. "You will be provided a Sunrio style bungalow; this is one of four that have been built there. It does indeed come furnished."

"There are some non-disclosure agreements. If you are terminated or quit, you're bonded to a fifteen year non-complete clause. No books, papers, movies relating back to the work you carried out here. While we do not recommend it, employee relationships are not in violation of your contract as long as it is not an employee working directly with you in the sabretooth field. I only add this because it is a commonly asked question from female employees." She finished, looking up at me as she handed me a packet and a pen.

I hesitated briefly, looking between the three of them. "I have some preconditions before I accept." I stated, crossing my legs as I leaned forward.

Mister Masrani nodded, gesturing his hand over the table.

"No more than four Smilodon cubs, I would prefer if they all looked similar because I know you tweak your animals to look different in order to tell them apart. I noticed the adolescent triceratops range anywhere from blue to orange, that is not natural and I will not have a blue Smilodon." I began, my eyes boring into Doctor Wu's as I said this.

"Also, I will need my own vehicle along with access to all areas of the park. Special training with the Asset Containment Unit, you will not be shooting my cats unless its teeth are inches away from sinking into someone's throat. And if my father ever decides to visit, a week free of charge for my family to visit." I finished, taking a sip of my water.

"Deal." grinned, putting his hand up as Claire went to object. Smirking, I took the pen and paper. Signing my name and initialing the document, I was in.

"Doctor Wu will take you to the lab tomorrow to show you the incubation area and explain the process, Wednesday you will meet with the architect to discuss enclosure specifications, Thursday you will be with me to pick files of those applying for jobs to be a part of your team, Friday is your day off, you will depart at four am on Saturday," Claire said, handing me a printed out schedule of what was expected for this week.

"When do I fly back?" I asked, looking up from the paper.

"August 26. We need several weeks to start the creation and incubation process of the cubs." Doctor Wu said, his eyes never leaving mine. "When you arrive here it will be two weeks until they are, well born for lack of a better word."

I nodded, pursing my lips.

"Welcome aboard, Doctor Malcolm." Grinned Claire.

* * *

Hello all! I hope you're enjoying Kairos as much as I'm enjoying writing it. I know it's pretty slow, but trust me it will pick up within the next few chapters. Logan should be meeting Owen pretty soon as well ;-)

If you wouldn't mind leaving some reviews, that would be great. I love feedback, good or bad. Anything that could help make this story better for the both of us.

If you were wondering, Logan is portrayed by a dark-haired Emma Roberts. I know in the book cover you can't see many of the characters I placed on there.

Thank you for reading and chapter 3 should be up pretty soon :-)


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning came quickly. We had left the restaurant around eleven-thirty after dinner, dessert, and a few more glasses of wine with friendly conversation. I was really liking my boss and coworkers. Claire and I seemed to get along extremely well; I figured if I could count on anyone on this island- it was her.

I still hadn't heard from my parents, and Kelly was dying to hear everything that happened at the meeting. She had texted me literally fifteen times over the course of the night. I knew she would be busy with getting Malia ready for school, so I opted out of a phone call and texted her instead.

 _Kell, I took the job. It's a lot to explain so I'll call you soon, it has to do with my sabers!_ _I love you all, send hugs and kisses. I'll be home Saturday._

Dressed in light denim shorts, a white button up tank top and boat shoes; I deemed myself appropriate for both work and comfort in the extreme heat. I was to be in the lobby at ten to meet Doctor Wu, and it was already nine thirty, so I opted out of my original plans to get breakfast.

Stepping off the elevator, I immediately sped towards the Starbucks that was placed inside the hotel and ordered my coffee. I found it humorous how out of place it looked, the only non-dinosaur themed station on the entire island. Literally everything, down to the toilet paper, had something relating back to dinosaurs, their bones or eggs.

Taking my coffee, I scanned the lobby once over before spotting Doctor Wu.

 _Jesus Christ, how are all these people so early all the time_

"Doctor Malcolm, good morning." He grinned (barely) as our eyes met.

"Again, it's Logan," I smiled, "But good morning! What do you have in store for me today?"

"We'll discuss that in the innovation center, we can't risk guests over hearing and word getting out." Wu said, sporting a fake smile on his face. Something about him rubbed me the wrong way.

* * *

The Innovation Center, or the lab, smelled exactly like a Hospital. The overuse of ammonia and bleach left the place with a smell of antiseptics that literally smacked you in the face the second you stepped inside.

"So we're going to construct six cubs, at least one dies with every species we produce so you will most likely get your four cubs." Wu explained, drawing on a tablet that projected a hologram. The hologram was of a kitten, which I assumed to be an embryonic Sabretooth,

"What are you going to use for DNA?" I asked, sipping my coffee as I watched the hologram, taking careful notes.

"We have Smilodon populator blood extracted from a well preserved specimen found in the higher altitude areas of Brazil. For missing links, we're going to fill it in with panthera Leo, puma concolor and panthera onca." Doctor Wu explained as a lion, puma and panther came on screen. They merged into one and from there; an animated figure of a Sabretooth was produced.

I smiled as I quickly jotted down notes, still in disbelief that this was actually happening. "This is amazing work you're doing here, Doctor Wu." I said, crossing my legs.

"I am trying my absolute best," he said, never looking up from the tablet. "They're projected to weigh roughly six hundred pounds and be four point two feet, at the shoulder. So smaller than their actual kind, this is due to the other feline's DNA mixing. However, we will see."

"What about their canines? Research has shown that their canines would be fully grown by eighteen months of age." I questioned, looking up to him.

"These cats will grow much faster than their ancestors did. They should be fully grown by a year, canines and all."

I raised my eyebrows, the amount of calories they would consume would be insane.

"What about their food? Obviously they'll need a high calorie intake?"

"Well we were waiting to ask you that. They'll need a higher fat and protein intake than normal large cats, along with taurine and arginine." Doctor Wu said.

I took a moment to think, crossing and uncrossing my legs. "As adults, obviously we will have them hunt. Live horses and cows, I'm thinking," I mused, tapping my pen on the pad of paper. "Also maybe goats, sheep and deer, alternate every five days, there should be two starve days so they don't become obese."

Doctor Wu was taking notes and listening to me intently as he typed away on the tablet. "And as cubs?"

"KMR Kitten formula, big cats are allergic to lactose so I'm only assuming these will be as well. With an increase of taurine and niacin levels as well. We can adjust it once we see how they respond. I'm thinking feed them three times a day, once I see fit we can wean them off slowly, introducing live prey." I said, jotting all my notes down as well.

"You seem to know your stuff, Doctor Malcolm." Smiled Doctor Wu, glancing up from his tablet to look at me.

"Add Petvite supplements as well, this will prevent fur back up in their digestive track. Every second feed day so we'll say Monday, Wednesday and Thursday's," I said, scribbling down my notes, "But thank you, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't planned and imagined this out before."

We shared a laugh as I took a sip of my coffee then returned to my notes, glancing over them. "Oh!" I exclaimed, my pen flying across the paper again, "Vaccines, we have to discuss."

Doctor Wu nodded, waiting for me to speak.

"So at twelve weeks, they will need FPV. FPV is feline parvovirus. Then again at twelve months, and then a booster every three years after that," my pen matched my words, flowing smoothly across the paper. "They'll also need FHV-1, the herpes virus. It doesn't usually kill big cats in captivity, but it doesn't cause respiratory and ocular issues. This needs to be right at three weeks with a booster once a year."

"Rabies as well, I'm assuming?" Doctor Wu asked, it almost seemed like he was a little frightened and timid to cross me.

"Yes, rabies as well. Feline leukemia, immunodeficiency, infectious peritonitis as well. Parvovirus of dogs, along with tetanus, canine distemper, and leptospirosis." I finished, reading off my list.

"What about the temperament shot, used to calm big cats in captivity down?" his voice came again.

My eyes shot to his, my brows furrowing yet again. "They're wild animals, Doctor. You've already resurrected them from the dead. Don't rob them of any of their other natural instincts or happenings."

* * *

After my meeting with Doctor Wu, I took the rest of the day to shop for my niece and nephew. I had a huge tendency to spoil them, and being at Jurassic World was even more of a reason to come back with boatloads of souvenirs for the both of them. Needless to say, my sister would kill me the moment I returned home.

I loved walking through the village, and even found popping into shops slightly therapeutic. It no longer shocked me why Kelly spent hours at stores.

My day continued to pass uneventful, until I was called to Headquarters.

"Logan, how was your meeting?" Claire smiled as soon as the elevator doors opened. I jumped slightly, not expecting the vibrant red head to greet me immediately as I got off the elevator.

Claire was dressed in a black business suit, identical to what she wore the night before. Her hair was up in a French twist and her make-up was dark and sultry. She was gorgeous, and I'm sure if she wasn't such a workaholic, she would have a boyfriend.

"Alright, I suppose." I smiled, pulling my dark hair up into a messy bun to prevent it from sticking to my hot, sweaty neck. "Any particular reason I'm here? Am I already in trouble?" I said, laughing lightly.

"Oh, no absolutely not. I was just lonely and figured you'd want to come along and check out an asset program we have going on." She grinned. I raised an eyebrow, folding my arms. "What kind of asset program?" I asked.

"Raptors." She said, her smile spreading as a look of excitement crossed my face.

"Um, hell yeah I want to go see raptors." I laughed, "Are we becoming friends?" I asked playfully.

"Just maybe." She answered, grabbing a set of keys and leading me into the elevator as we shared another laugh together.

Pulling up to the raptor enclosure smacked me in the face two ways.

One, it was intimidating as all hell to be within thirty feet of these beautiful creatures. It literally took my breath away when I got out of the car.

Two, the way their trainer reacted when Claire introduced me as a new asset handler. Or maybe just their trainer in general.

"Mister Grady, this is Doctor Logan Malcolm. She's a new asset handler for the new exhibit debuting in September." Claire called up, shielding her eyes from the sun. A loud chuckle came from the man as he walked down the catwalk, to the top of the stairs.

He had green eyes, a beard and mustache of overgrown stubble, and an overgrown military style flattop haircut. Along with that, Mister Grady was tall and muscular, and I'd be lying if I said he wasn't handsome.

"First of all, it's Owen. Just because we had a piss poor break up, doesn't change my name," he began, wiping his hands on a towel. "Second of all, you're like what? Eighteen? How are you a trainer?"

I felt myself becoming defensive, placing my hands on my hips. "Actually, I'm twenty three. I'll be twenty four in four months, not that that's any of your concern," I said, my face twisting itself into a dirty look. "Also, weren't you taught to never ask a lady her age?"

This Owen guy snorted, trotting down the steps. "Well I have to ask if I'm told someone, who looks like she just joined the yearbook committee, is a trainer."

I had to give it to him, that one was funny.

"You know, I'll take your words as a compliment. Thank you, Owen." I said, a laugh falling from my lips.

"Don't encourage him, he'll never quit." Claire said, rolling her eyes. "I need your paperwork." She added, looking over at this Owen character.

I felt myself looking him up and down, he was definitely good looking. He was funny too, in all the wrong ways. Owen's eyes met mine, and we smirked at each other before the three of us walked into the raptor trainer's 'office'.

"So Logan, what kind of animal did they suck you into training, my friend?" Owen asked as he flopped into his desk chair, making it move a few feet back. He leaned forward, propelling himself forward as he took steps to his computer.

"Well they didn't suck me into anything, I gladly accepted the offer. But I'll be in charge of the Smilodon populator exhibit and the animals inside of it." I said, walking around his office and observing all the photos he had of the raptors. Claire impatiently tapped her foot, waiting for her reports. I could tell that this was the last place she wanted to be, and I now understood why I was dragged along.

"Those are Sabretooth's, correct?" he asked, his eyes glancing at me before returning back to his computer.

"Uh, yeah. I wrote my undergraduate thesis on how females will often group together and have their young. Proved right, had it published." I said, proudly boasting my work.

"Oh shit, you're that guy Ian Malcolm's kid!" Owen exclaimed. "The dude with the chaos theory and shit, Jurassic Park tried to ruin his career. Wow, ironic that you're working for Jurassic World, huh?" he laughed.

"Yeah he's not thrilled. But he'll get over it." I said, leaning against the door frame. Owen looked over at me once more, his eyes wandering down then up.

"Owen!" exclaimed Claire, a clear pissed off tone in her voice, "Can I have your paperwork?"

"Oh shit, yeah sorry. I got distracted by solitaire."

* * *

After touring the raptor exhibit which was much to Claire's dismay but much to my excitement, we headed back. She dropped me off at the hotel, inviting me out that night to Margaritaville, which apparently was not only a Jimmy Buffett song, but a bar as well.

So hours later, I found myself in a soft lime green (punny, I know, I did it on purpose) one shoulder dress that fell to the middle of my thighs, paired with tan wedges, standing in a bar surrounded by my now coworkers. Claire was wearing a tight floral dress and heels; it was strange seeing her in anything other than a business suit.

Sipping our margaritas, we stood at a cocktail table and glanced around. "These are mostly Headquarters workers, not many trainers come out during the week." She shouted, over the loud music.

And yes, they were playing Jimmy Buffett.

"Sounds like college." I shouted back. We shared a laugh before taking a sip of our drinks. I was drinking a classic margarita, while Claire was now on her second pomegranate one. I didn't expect this side from her, she seemed so uptight and business like.

"So if you don't mind me asking, what happened with you and Owen?" I shouted, stirring my drink. Claire's eyes rolled.

"We had gone out on a date before but he wasn't my type. After the Indominus accident, he saved my nephews lives', we dated for a few months but we just didn't work together." She shouted back, taking another sip of her drink.

"I don't want to sound boring," she continued, looking at me, "But he's too much. I need a structured relationship where I don't share my other. With him, you have to share with the raptors. I know I sound jealous of them, I slightly was, but you'd understand if you saw him in action with them."

I nodded slowly, watching as she reached the bottom of her second drink. "I'm kind of drunk so I'm only saying this because of the alcohol; I know he wants you, and I'm okay with that, just be careful." She yelled, waving her finger as she did so- signaling for another drink.

"Oh no Claire-"

"Well hello ladies. Well, little lady and intoxicated red head." Owen grinned as he and his assistant trainer, Barry, welcomed themselves to our table.

"Ugh, speak of the fucking Devil." Claire groaned, taking her refill off the waiter's platter. I laughed at my drunken friend's attitude. It was a thrill to see Claire like this.

"Oh? Hear that Barry, topic of discussion. Lolo over there wanted information for her year book." Owen said, taking a swig of his beer.

I rolled my eyes and shot a dirty look his way; "You're just a little mad that you weren't on this level, this young." I retorted before finishing my drink. Barry laughed, high fiving me.

"I like this one," he said, his French accent thick, "She's spicy! I think you've met your match Owen."

Owen chuckled, finishing his beer and setting his glass down on the table. "Are you down for some shots? Or are you on a bogus diet like carrot top over here that restricts tequila?" he asked, his green eyes meeting mine.

A surge of confidence flew threw me. Where the hell it came from? No clue.

"Yeah I'm down, the question is, are you?" I smirked.

"Ooooooh!" Barry laughed, Claire's eyes still sending daggers Owen's way.

"Waiter! A round of tequila shots please!" Owen shouted to the waiter, who nodded. Within two minutes, a round was placed in front of us. Even Claire had one ready, much to Owen's shock.

"Ooh, bitchy pants has a wild side!" he taunted.

Claire scoffed. "Tequila might not take the 'bitch' out of me, but it makes the 'stupid' in you much more tolerable." She hissed.

Barry and I burst into laughter, and I put one arm around my red-headed friends shoulder. She was great.

Owen laughed, raising his shot glass as if to say 'you got me there' before counting: "One, two, three!". Immediately we licked our hands. I tossed the shot back, took a bite of the lemon, and slammed the shot glass on the table. The warm liquor coated my throat and lingered in my mouth, a shiver creeping up my spine.

Taking a sip of my drink to rid myself of the foul taste, I found my eyes linking with Owen's once again.

"Claire, I'm going to get going." I said suddenly, turning to my friend.

"Don't be a party pooper! It's only ten! And you haven't finished your margarita." she frowned, checking her BlackBerry.

I laughed slightly, gathering my wristlet and phone before quickly finishing the lime drink. "The margarita is taken care of. The time however, I can't control. I have that meeting with the architect in the morning and I actually have to be alert for that."

Claire smiled, pushing her hair back. "You're right. I'll probably leave in a bit as well," she said, hugging me. "Thank you for coming with me, I'll see you in the morning!"

And with that, Claire headed to another table where Lowery and another headquarters girl sat.

I turned to Barry and Owen, smiling. "Sorry to rain on the parade but I have to go over to see the architect bright and early, and I already feel my friend, tequila shot, hitting me." I laughed, both of them chuckling with me, Owen tossing back another two shots. I placed thirty dollars on the table, figuring it'd be enough for my two margaritas and shot.

"I understand. Goodnight, Mon Cher." Barry smiled.

"Goodnight, Owen." I said, fixing my hair.

"Let me walk you to the elevator." He said, getting up. I rolled my eyes, "No it's literally across the lobby, it's fine."

"Would you shut your trap?" He said, looking at me, "Barry, I'll be right back. Order me another Sam Adams."

And with that, Owen Grady and I strode across the lobby in silence. He pressed the button for me and we stood in silence, watching each other.

"You know, it's impressive watching how fast you adapt and make friends." He said, smiling as he slid his hands in his pocket, leaning against the wall.

"What can I say, I'm a lovable person." I smiled, hiccupping slightly.

"And a lightweight drinker as well." Owen chuckled.

"Sorry, not a big drinker. Chaos theory, you know." I winked, pushing my hair to one side. Owen and I laughed, glancing up to see the elevator was nine floors away.

We stood in silence, staring at each other. I bit my lip, my face flush from not only the alcohol, but what I believed to be a blush as well. I don't know if it was me, or if it was the tequila, but I felt slightly compelled to kiss Owen Grady. Or maybe, just maybe, I wanted him to kiss me.

Luckily, the bell dinged, pulling us both out of whatever trance we were in.

"I'll uh, see you around. Good night Owen." I smiled, stepping into the elevator and pressing the button with twenty five etched into it.

"Night Logan."


	4. Chapter 4

A slight hangover haunted me the next morning, which I absolutely hated myself for. My conscience was filled with nothing but anger and guilt, however nothing possessed my mind more than the thought of Owen and I's encounter that Tuesday night. In my defense, I was tipsy. Of course I wouldn't have actually let that happen had I not been under the influence.

Of course, I'm lying about this.

My meeting with the architect on Wednesday was quick; he had amazing blue prints of a forty foot by thirty foot enclosure, with a large den underground. There would be a stream in the middle, their water source, and plenty of foliage would blanket the ground. The walls would be made of concrete, their orders as it was 'Jurassic World protocol', so I suggested the walls be built at least thirty feet high, with the cat-walk boosted just a bit higher than that. I knew these cats would be able to jump high due to their DNA, and I was **not** about to take my chances. I left my name and number with him, telling him to call me if there were any questions about the enclosure while I was off the island for the next month or so. After the meeting, Owen and I had passed each other for seconds in the hall, and all we had shared was a lingering gaze. As I walked away, I swore I felt his eyes still on me.

The pop up meeting with ACU however, took hours. I enforced a million times that I did not want my cats to be electrocuted, to which they responded: "Doctor Malcolm, it is protocol.". Where my answer would always be: "Address me by Logan. And we are not shocking my cats, I don't give a shit. They will not get out of the enclosure long enough for that to happen.". It was a real shit show. Hamada and I were not friends, to say the least. We eventually settled on implanted tracking devices behind their shoulder blades, placed at 'birth', and VHF collars made of soft, waterproof synthetic material. There was no way these cats would get out of the enclosure without us knowing between the implant chips and the radio transmission collars, not on my watch.

Thursday was uneventful, at least until Claire sparked an interesting conversation topic; I spent the day with Claire reading hundreds of applications and folders of those interested in a 'keeper' job at Jurassic World. These people really had no clue what they were in for. Eventually, after six hours or so of flipping through profiles and making endless phone interviews, I had decided on six, and Claire decided on six. She would deal with the hiring process, as I had, well, bigger fish to fry while moving and settling in. It was during those few hours that Claire brought up Owen's name, catching my attention.

"Oh, Logan!" Claire called, her fingers skimming the pages of the file in her lap.

"Hmm?" I asked, not taking my eyes off the profile in front of me. The man applying for this job was a lion keeper from the Bronx; he was much older but seemed pretty fit and actually struck me as a great candidate. I wrote his name, _Jackson Murphy_ , down on my paper before tossing his file into the 'YES' pile that sat near my feet.

"Mister Grady was inquiring about you yesterday." She said, casting her eyes my way.

My eyes shot to hers, raising an eyebrow as she smirked. "And what was he inquiring about exactly?"

"You. When you're leaving, are you excited for the job, when he'd see you again, should he invite you out for drinks again," as Claire listed the last one, I felt my cheeks getting flushed. "Doctor Malcolm, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you like him."

"Pfffft, yeah, alright." I laughed, picking up another file. As soon as I saw **No prior experience in this field** , I tossed the file into the 'NO' pile. I was longing for Claire to lose interest and drop to subject, but my wish was not granted by any means,

"Oh come on, you know you do. If I'm holding you back from admitting it, I genuinely do not care." Claire confirmed, staring at me as she awaited my response.

Sighing, I sat up , looking at her. "I don't know him well enough to like him. He's a funny guy and very handsome, don't get me wrong. Would I go out on a date with him? Yeah, maybe.". This was my bullshit, pathetic way of saying ' _Oh absolutely but I'm pathetic and fall way too hard and way too fast so I'm just going to focus on my work before making myself look stupid'_

"You are about as easy to read as an open book my friend." Laughed Claire, spinning back around to her piles of folders.

* * *

That night, I was laid back on my bed, eating a 'herbivore' pizza in the hotel room as I watched a movie I had randomly settled on. My eyes fixed on my TV, I took a bite of the pizza, the string following me back before snapping and landing on my t-shirt, leaving a grease stain.

"Fuck me." I growled, setting the slice down and getting up to change, until my phone started ringing.

 **Dad**

My heart dropped to my ass.

Staring at my phone in disbelief, it rung once or twice before my common sense kicked in, and I answered.

"Hey, dad." I said, anxiously walking out of the bedroom into living room area.

"Logan, how are ya kid?" came his voice. He wasn't mad, he wasn't happy. I wasn't sure if this was a good sign or not.

"I'm good, really good. It's great here. How are you?"

"I'm, well I'm okay. But first, I'm sorry-"

"No, Dad, don't apologize. I was out of line, I know you were trying to protect me and sometimes I'm too stubborn to see any point of view, but my own. I'm sorry for hiding everything for so long and being such a bitch to you and mom." I sighed. I felt choked up, and my eyes stung. Not much got me upset, but when it came to my family, I was a total baby.

"It's okay Lola," came my Dad's voice, using my childhood nickname that only he called me. "Let's just agree to both forgive and forget?"

"Yeah, please." I laughed, rubbing my slightly watered eyes. "So um, I took the job."

"Oh," my father's voice sounded, well, sad. "What job position? Behavioral analyst?"

"Well, that. But I'm in charge of a whole program!" I grinned, leaning against the glass doorway of the deck. The lights underneath the water cast a green glow, the Mosasaur's silhouette showing her movements across her pond.

"What kind of program, Logan? If you tell me a tyrannosaur or raptors I'm going to kill you.". Alarm coated his voice.

I laughed, looking down at my feet, then back out the window. "No, Dad. They're breeding sabretooth's. Four of them, I'm in charge. I picked out their food, enclosure, and vaccinations. Everything."

My father groaned on the other end of the line, I could picture him sitting at his desk with his head in hands. "Jesus Christ, your mother wants to say hi. Sarah, take the phone before she sends me into cardiac arrest."

"Logan?" came my mother's voice, hers sounding much more chipper than my father's.

"Mom, hey."

"Hi honey! How are you? Do you love it? Is it hot? Have you made friends?". My mother was notorious for firing off fifty questions before you had the opportunity to even answer the first one.

I laughed, slowing her down before I answered. "Yeah mom, I'm great. I absolutely love it here, the weather is pretty warm but nothing unbearable. Yes, I have made some friends."

"I overheard you telling Dad about the sabre's, that's awesome baby!". I could practically hear her smiling over the phone. In the back, my father's mumbles of "dangerous….don't encourage….I need a drink." Could be well heard.

"Dad seems thrilled!" I commented, rolling my eyes.

"Oh ignore him, he's going to have his scotch and go to bed. We're proud of you baby. We're sorry it took so long to call, we all know how stubborn we are." Now it was my mother who was choked up. "I don't want you to think we're only proud of Kelly, because we're very proud of you as well. You're only twenty three, Logan. And look at you!"

Her words made me more emotional than expected, and I held back the tears.

"Thank you mom, that means a lot." I whispered, not risking my voice cracking. A few knocks at my door piqued both mine, and my mother's curiosity.

"You must have company, we'll let you go. Remember Logan, we love you. Send us some pictures." Insisted my mom.

"Of course, I love you both. I'll be home Saturday."

We exchanged our goodbyes and I hung up, going to answer the door for whoever was furiously knocking.

"Uh, just a second!" I called, practically running across the large suite to the door. Peering through the peep hole, the sight of Owen nearly knocked me off my feet.

In a panic, I looked at myself in the small mirror. I was a mess.

A white diplodocus t-shirt, black Nike running shorts, and knee high Nike socks was not the look I wanted him to see me in. Not to mention, my t-shirt had a huge grease stain on it from the pizza.

I groaned softly, deciding that it was better than nothing, pushed my wavy hair into an acceptable place, and flung the door open.

"Jesus, Sabre girl, take you enough ti- whoa. Nice t-shirt." Laughed Owen, his eyes travelling up and down my outfit.

I glared at him, folding my arms. "Oh shut up, Grady. It's cute." I responded.

"Yeah, so is this," he retorted, reaching forward and wiping something off my face. "Pizza sauce, nice."

 _FUCK MY LIFE_

"Saving it for later, you know." I giggled. I mentally smacked myself, that had to be the most idiotic thing I have ever said. And I've said some dumb shit in all twenty three years of my life, but that topped everything.

Owen chuckled, pushing forward and basically inviting himself in.

"Yeah, no that's fine just come on in." I said sarcastically, shutting the door. I followed him into the kitchen area, taking a seat on the counter, while he took a seat on one of the stools that sat at the bar. He was dressed in a white V-neck shirt, with dark wash jeans and his typical hiking boots. It was hard not to stare at him.

"Common hospitality is you know, offering your guest a drink." He suggested, holding out one of his hands.

"Yeah but this guest would, and probably will, just grab his own drink anyways. So I'm not too concerned about my hosting abilities." I retorted. Both of us laughed, knowing I was right. My point was only proven as Owen got up, raiding the stacked fridge and retrieving a water bottle. "So can I ask what possessed you to grace my presence tonight?"

"A little red head birdy told me that you did not object to finding me attractive or accompanying me on a date, so I came to see if this information was true" He paused to take a swig of the water, "Or if that birdy needed to be shot.". Our eyes bore into each other's, and I would not be the first one to look away. Owen winked, finishing the water and crushing the bottle, his gaze never leaving mine.

 _So much for girl talk that stays between two girls!_

"Maybe, maybe not." I shrugged, folding my arms over my chest. "Why do you care?"

"Ah because when you officially move back, maybe I'll take that opportunity. Maybe I won't." he smirked.

"You're a real cocky bastard, you know that right?"

Chuckling, Owen grabbed my phone and placed his number in it. "I'll leave that decision up to you." . Heading towards the door, he turned around, looking me over before making eye contact. "I know you have a free day tomorrow before you leave, maybe come check out the girls, or me, before you leave."

"If I do come, after I sleep in late and treat myself to a hearty buffet breakfast, then it will be for the raptors and Barry. And not for your arrogant ass." I grinned, hopping off the counter and following him to the door.

"Right, I'm sure that's precisely the case, yearbook chief."

I slapped his chest, leaning against the door frame as he backed out of the room. "Good night, Owen."

Owen's forearm rested against the door frame, above my head as he looked down at me. Looking at him now, he had to have at least a foot on me. Maybe even more. The feeling from Tuesday night surged back, I was willing him to kiss me. But I would not give in, I refused to.

"What, Grady, can I help you?" I sighed, winking. "A lady has to get her beauty sleep, you know."

Owen's voice was low, and his eyes never once left mine. "Will you visit tomorrow?"

"We'll see." I winked, stepping back. "Good night!"

"Good going, shit head." I mumbled to myself, trekking off to the bedroom.

* * *

The next day, I had slept until noon. Everything from the hot weather, salty air, excitement and well, work, really tired me out. I was kind of bummed because I had missed the breakfast buffet, Belgian waffles were my favorite.

And honestly, who could resist brontosaurus shaped waffles? Apparently, my sleeping self could. But my widely awake self, could and would not once I moved here permanently.

As I was preparing to leave my hotel room, I stared long and hard at my phone. Owen's contact was right there, and he had even snapped a stupid picture of himself to put as his contact picture. I rolled my eyes, laughing lightly. Leave it to him, of all people.

Against my better judgement, I clicked the 'call button', pressing the cool glass of the phone to my ear as I left the hotel room, bouncing towards the elevator.

"Grady." Came Owen's gruff voice. The raptors chirps in the back alerted me that he was with his girls. I was shocked he answered a phone call.

"Well good morning Mister Grady!" I said with a sarcastic, cheerful tone in my voice, pressing the button for the elevator.

"Sabre girl!" he exclaimed, " Couldn't resist my devilishy good looks and witty charm very long? What's it been like twelve hours?" Owen said, chuckling.

"Oh yeah that's it. Drowning without your love."

"I can't say I'd blame you. So are you coming around to see my handsome self?"

"I'm coming to see the raptors, Owen. I told you, I'm there for everyone except you." I teased, laughing as I exited the elevator into the lobby.

"That hurts girl, big time." Owen sobbed, causing me to erupt into a fit of laughter. "Barry is actually coming back from Headquarters, so I'll have him get you and uh, I'll see your fine self soon. Wait for him at the Mosasaur café, he's supposed to stop and get me coffee. Make sure that bastard gets it."

"Yeah, we'll see." I said, sarcasm dripping from my voice, "I'm headed there now. I will see you soon."

* * *

Pulling up to the raptor enclosure, which was about twenty miles away from the outskirts of the park, was mind blowing. Although it was my second time seeing the raptors, it did not take my breath away any less. They were tall, sleek, and slightly terrifying.

They were beautiful.

"Wow." I gasped, marveling at just how beautiful the raptors were up close. Their hisses and chirps heightened as I approached the cage, my eyes boring into an all-black raptor's eyes. Her head turned this way and that, getting a good look at me. I was inches from the cage, they were like a trap. I knew of the danger, but I wanted more. The all black one was the largest, and the closest to her cage. Then there was a brown one with red undertones all over her scales, she was to my right and was pacing back and forth. To my left, there was a tan one, she was staring intently, her claw raised. Behind her and the black one, there was a mossy green toned one who was crouched low to the ground.

Suddenly, the black one and the brown one pounced, crashing into the steel bars as I jumped, falling back. My fall was caught by a pair of steady, strong arms.

"Scare you?" Owen said, smirking. He hoisted me up, getting me on my feet. My heart was still pumping adrenaline through my veins, but I managed out a laugh and a giant smile.

"That was fucking incredible." I panted, my chest rising and falling rapidly.

"You're insane, you know that?" Owen said, rolling his eyes, "You could have been eaten by India and Whiskey, and here you are saying it was incredible."

I laughed, placing my hand on my hips. "Hey, in my defense, that would have been such a badass way to go out."

Owen rolled his eyes and nudged my shoulder, "Maybe I should let them eat you."

"So who's who?" I asked, ignoring his comment and inching closer to the cage again. The black one was watching me intently.

"Well the black one, who either loves or hates you, that's India. She's the beta." He began, pointing as he listed off names. "Whiskey is the brown red one, for obvious reasons."

That got me to roll my eyes, heavily.

"The tan one is Yankee, and the green one is Foxtrot."

"All Phonetic alphabet stuff, huh?" I asked, turning to face him.

"Previous Navy SEAL, my first pack was all named after the Phonetic too."

This piqued my interest, "First?"

"Before the Indominus incident, I had a pack. Uh- Blue, Delta, Charlie and Echo. They actually turned on me, following the Indominus, but not Blue. She saved my life. The other three were killed. I released Blue from my pack, she ran off. I don't know what happened to her." I could see a longing in his eyes. He cared for these raptors very much. It was clear he loved this new pack just as much, but nothing would ever top his first ones.

"Oh, I'm sorry Owen." I frowned, placing my hand on his shoulder.

His hand covered mine for a minute, before shrugging. "Hey, it's life."

We smiled at each other, our gaze never breaking. At least until India took that moment to shriek and take off running.

Startled, I jumped a bit, causing Owen to crack up at my apprehension. "God, girl, if you can't handle the raptors, how are you gonna handle your cats?" he teased. Rolling my eyes, I slugged his shoulder.

He rubbed his arm, pretending it hurt, before setting off towards the stairs, motioning for me to follow. I did as I was told, for once, and we bounded up the stairs onto the catwalk. I surveyed the enclosure; it was just as large as the one I had requested for the cats. Green foliage with pops of color from tropical flowers blanketed most of our view. Except for a few clearings here and there, which I assumed was where Owen called the girls for their training periods.

India was following me, fifteen feet beneath me, but still stalking my every move. I took notice of her extended hunting claw. She did not like me one bit.

"I think you got some competition there, Malcolm." Owen taunted, a slight smirk spreading across his face as he observed India and I staring at each other.

"Please, no one is competition to her." I laughed, turning around to face him. Owen's lopsided smirk and wandering eyes made a blush creep onto my cheeks.

"Well, except maybe you."

I rolled my eyes, flipping him off. "You're annoying. You don't even know me. I could be a serial killer this whole time."

It was Owen's turn to huff and give me the finger. "You're a really dumb serial killer then if you're trying to kill the trainers of carnivorous dinosaurs, dip shit."

"Touché, Grady. Touché." I said, winking.

* * *

Hello everyone! I hope you're all enjoying my updates. I'm trying to update (and write) chapters as much as possible before I go back to work next week!

I totally forgot to clarify a few things. 1.) This is after the Indominus Incident, but Simon Masrani did not die. You will see why later on ;)

2.) Blue is still alive, we may or may not know where yet and she may or may not make an appearance!

and last, but not least, 3.) Logan has a kind of bad hidden past that will come out over the next few chapters.

I totally appreciate everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed. You guys have no idea how much that motivates me to pop out new chapters for you!

Thank you for reading :)


	5. Chapter 5

August 26th seemed like it took ten years to arrive. But when it did, I was the happiest woman on the face of the Earth. This move had gone smoothly, almost everything except one suitcase of clothes was shipped ahead of time. I could thank my brilliant father for that.

Although, leaving my family as I walked through the gate to the plane was pretty rough. Hearing Malia's cries of "Aunty! Don't go!" tore my heart to pieces, and if I'm being totally honest, I was totally choked up and an ocean of hot tears threatened to go down my face. My mother and father were a mess as well. My mom told me to skype her and send her pictures every day, I promised if I couldn't do that, then I would at least send her a text. However, saying my goodbyes to my dad was the most heartbreaking. We just stood in a huge embrace for about ten minutes, him stroking my hair, constantly repeating: "Be safe, Lola. Please, for me. In both means." My sister and brother-in-law promised they all would take a family visit when Malia was out of school for February break, but it broke my heart knowing I could no longer just pop over to my sister's house when I needed a hug and cheering up from my niece and nephew, or call my dad to meet for lunch.

Sitting on my plane as I waited for take-off, I texted Owen.

 _Are you excited to see my lovely self in about eight hours? ;-)_

During the month and a half that I was home and making preparations, Owen and I had talked every day, if not then every other day. He'd send me pictures of the raptors, the enclosure that was built for my cats (which was absolutely perfect, and right down the road from his raptor enclosure) or him drinking a beer with Barry. At one point he even snuck into the creation center and took a picture of what looked like the embryonic sabres for me. He had said that Claire nearly murdered him for doing so.

I think it was safe for me to say that I was falling for Owen Grady, and I'm pretty sure that it was safe to say he was falling for me as well. I felt like I was back in high school all over again, getting giddy over the thought of a guy I had feelings for, crushing on me back.

It was sickening.

My phone dinged twice, Owen's responses displayed on my lock screen.

 _If I had any more excitement, I'd probably go into cardiac arrest._

 _By the way, I'm meeting you at the dock with your new car. So, I'll need a ride back to my house after. Yes, I'm too lazy to walk those 200 feet_

Rolling my eyes, I sent back the middle finger emoji before placing my phone on 'airplane mode'. Plugging in my headphones, I played music and reclined back.

My new life was about to begin and I was a clusterfuck of emotions.

Nervous? Yes. Curious? Yes. Excited? Hell yes.

* * *

I had spent the entire forty-five minute ferry ride throwing up from sea sickness, and honestly I think it was from excitement too. Your body does weird shit when it's overwhelmed.

The smell of the salty air soon fused with the light scent of the island. We had finally docked. I figured the stampede of people rushing off the boat gave me enough time to rinse my mouth out and pop a stick of gum into my mouth. Owen had already seen me in a grease stained dinosaur t-shirt with pizza sauce on my face, I did not need him to smell my putrid vomit breath.

As dumb as this sounds, my heart stopped when I saw Owen.

I was stepping off the ferry and onto the dock when I looked up. I swear it was like a movie because Owen was standing at the end of the dock. His arms were folded, a smirk plastered on his face. His bright blue eyes, searching through the crowd of people for a sign of me.

Taking the suitcase I had with me, and my purse, I hurried off the dock and towards Owen. "Grady!" I exclaimed, jogging towards him.

"Malcolm! You look pretty hot when you don't have a greasy Apatosaurus t-shirt on!" he said, pulling me into a hug. I smacked his chest, wrapping my arms around his large torso.

"It was a diplodocus, actually." I said, giggling as I stepped back from the hug. In the month and I half that I hadn't seen him, he looked like he had gained a little bit more muscle. Owen grabbed the handle of my suitcase, picking it up with ease, and then proceeded to look me over. I smirked at him, folding my arms and returning the stare.

"Miss me?" I winked. Owen chuckled, nodding and fishing keys out of his back pocket.

"I guess you can call it that."

I punched his shoulder, "You know you did." I taunted in a sing-song voice.

"Whatever you say kid, whatever you say."

"Excuse you? Kid?" I scoffed, my hand on my hip as I followed him through the crowd towards the edge of the lot. "I am twenty three years old sir, I will be twenty four on Halloween, for your information."

"You must have had kick ass birthday parties when you were a kid." Owen said, scanning his ID card making the electric fence slide open as we entered into the outskirts of the park.

"Yeah, you know, costume parties and pumpkin birthday cakes get old after you're about ten years old. I love the holiday itself, hate that my birthday falls on it."

"Picky, huh?" teased Owen.

And there it was. My new car. They had given me an all-black Mercedes Benz G-Wagon. It was absolutely gorgeous beyond words.

"Is that?" I asked, my jaw dropping. I felt like I was at my sweet sixteen again, getting the blue Ford civic my parents had bought me. Amongst my group of friends, I was the absolute shit for getting the brand new 2000 Civic that year.

Owen nodded, smiling: "It is indeed, I'm driving though."

I huffed, tossing my bag into the backseat before sliding into the passenger side. Owen hoisted my suitcase up into the trunk, walking around the G-Wagon before getting into the driver's side and starting up the SUV.

* * *

My house was a dream come true. It was a two floor wooden bungalow with a huge wooden terrace that had a couch and rocking chair placed on it. The front door was two beautiful French doors, walking through those would bring you into the dining area. This had a glass table with black chairs, large enough to seat about four to five people. To the left was the living room area that had a black wrap around couch, white furry carpet, a plasma TV mounted onto the wall, and a black coffee table. To the right of the dining was the kitchen, which I fell in love with. Black granite countertop, stainless steel appliances, and even an island bar to sit at. There was also a small bathroom off of the kitchen that held a toilet and a sink.

The stairs to the second floor was tucked away in the dining room. Walking up the beautiful wooden stairs brought you to the second floor. The left of the stairs held an office, with three black walls and one white wall. There was a purple paisley area rug spread across the wooden floors. The desk was black and placed off centered on the rug at an angle, a Mac Desktop sat atop of it. To the right of the stairs was a huge bathroom with two sinks, a large frosted glass shower, and a toilet. It had plenty of beautiful lighting and the decorations were all black or white.

My favorite part of the whole house was the master bedroom. The door was right across the hall from the top of the stairs. Entering the bedroom, there was three white walls and one black wall. A gray carpet covered the room, wall to wall. There was a large, California king bed in the middle. The comforter set was white with a few black throw pillows, along with a body pillow. Two leather ottomans sat at the end of the bed, while two black end tables sat at the sides of the bed. An excessively large plasma TV was mounted on the wall with a desk underneath it. On the left was the door to my walk in closet. To the right was a white vanity with a black, fluffy ottoman for the seat.

"Owen, I think I just died and went to heaven." I gasped, looking around my closet as he sat on the fluffy ottoman.

With a chuckle, Owen looked at me and said: "I have one more decoration for you."

I turned back stepped out of the closet and peeked my head out, raising my eyebrow. "Mister Grady? Do you have a secret interior design talent I don't know about?"

"No," he laughed, getting up and fishing something out of his pocket. "Here, I thought it was fitting." He said, placing a Sabretooth tiger figurine on nightstand. I smiled, stepping out of my closet and walking over to the bedside. I picked the tiger figurine up, studying its features.

"Aw, Owen, I love it." I said, a huge smile spreading across my face. It was a tan colored sabre, the dark brown spots dotting its back, the long canines coming out of its mouth. "Seriously, this makes me so happy. Thank you." I smiled, throwing my arms around him in an embrace.

Owen's arms snaked around my waist as he hugged me back. "You're welcome." He smiled, both of us slowly pulling away from the hug. Owen brought his hand up to my face, brushing my hair back. I sucked in a shaky breath, our eyes meeting briefly before flicking to each other's lips and back.

My arms snaked up to wrap around his neck, and one of his hands dropped down to my waist, sparks igniting where our skin met. We smiled, our eyes meeting again.

"Is this actually gonna happen?" I whispered, biting my lip.

"If you don't stop me right now, yes, it's absolutely going to happen.". His voice was low and husky, our eyes met once more before closing as Owen leaned in to kiss me.

Our lips met, and I now understood why people said 'sparks fly' when they finally kiss the person they've been longing for. It was like an electric current pulsed from my lips, throughout my body, creating shivers going up and down my body. Owen's lips moved perfectly against mine, his hands on my waist, squeezing my hips ever so softly. My head spun, I could not believe that Owen and I were doing this.

I pulled away, biting my lip and grinning up at Owen. A red tint splattered my cheeks and the tips of my ears as our eyes met.

"Not bad, Grady." I winked.

"I wish I could say the same, Malcolm." He winked. I gasped, slapping his chest. "Don't be a dick." I said, giggling as his laugh sent vibrations through his chest.

"So so sorry." Owen smirked, pressing his lips to mine once again as we quickly kissed once more. "Unlike someone, I have to get back to work."

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah yeah, go. And I'm not driving you the two hundred feet to your house."

"Ugh, but that means exercise and I need all my energy for you." He winked. I smacked his shoulder, "Don't think anything like that is happening anytime soon, kid."

Owen laughed, kissing the top of my head. "I'll leave you to unpack and I'll text you once the girls are all set. We should get dinner tonight if you aren't busy."

"Owen Grady!" I exclaimed, my hands placed on my hips. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"Matter of fact, sweet cheeks, I am. Look nice and come on over around eight thirty, I'll cook." He winked before stepping out of my bedroom.

"Sounds good, have fun! Lock my door!" I called as I heard him bound down the steps and out the front door, shutting it behind him.

* * *

My phone chimed as the clock hit eight twenty. I had spent my day unpacking, showering, and struggling for two hours to get my hair and make-up perfect. Times like these were when I missed Kelly, the queen of make-up. She loved when I came to her, asking for help whether it be for a date, party or an event I was speaking at. Now that I lived in another country, I was there to fend for myself.

Staring in my full length mirror, I deemed myself presentable. I had straightened my hair, an extremely rare occasion for me, making it fall down my back. My make-up was light: only a thin layer of foundation, top eyeliner, mascara and a little bit of highlight to make me feel confident (as if I needed help in that department). My outfit was cool and comfortable; I had on a lace shift dress that fell to mid-thigh, a light denim jacket, and gladiator sandals that laced up to my ankles.

Looping the handle of my satchel over my head and grabbing my keys, I opened the door to find Owen there, holding a pink hibiscus flower. He was dressed in a plaid button up shirt, with the sleeves cuffed up to his elbows, dark wash denim jeans and a pair of light tan casual boots. While he was showered, his scruffy beard and mustache remained.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, stepping out and shutting my door. "This is certainly a surprise Grady, you're more of a gentleman than I ever thought imaginable." I said, smiling as I took the flower. Pushing my hair behind my ear, I placed the flower behind it as well.

"You look great." Owen said, a grin creeping across his face. "Couldn't risk the dinosaurs getting to you before I did."

I laughed as we started down my steps and down the rocky trail towards his house. One hand rested on the small of my back, guiding my down the path, as the other held his flashlight. The sound of birds tooting in the trees filled my ears.

"You would think birds would be asleep by now." I commented, glancing towards Owen. The light of his house soon came into view.

"Those are actually Costa Rican pygmy owls, cute little things. They're very small, only a couple a pounds."

I nodded as we entered his property. His house was tiny, only one floor but practically identical to mine. It sat a couple of hundred feet away from a vast lake, across it looked like the raptor enclosure. I smiled to myself, Owen really did love those things.

And there on his screened in porch, was a little dining table. It was small, probably a nightstand he had and sat in front of a porch swing, all facing towards the water. The plates were already out, and two glasses stood by each plate. To say I was impressed was an understatement, I never took Owen Grady for a romantic guy. I don't think anybody did.

Trotting up the steps and into the porch, I turned around and smiled at him. "This is, wow." I said, grinning. I was at a loss for words. Was I moving too fast? Probably. But I don't think that either of us seemed to care as we stood on the porch, the owls tooting in the background, and the sound of the lake lapping the shore line.

"Make yourself comfortable, I'm going to go get us drinks. Beer, wine?" Owen asked, "Tequila?"

I laughed lightly, smoothing my dress underneath me as I sat on the porch swing as I placed my bag on the ground. "No thank you, I'm not really a drinker. Water's fine."

Owen raised an eyebrow, "Not a drinker? Well that first night we went out you seemed to be." He said, opening the screen door.

"Yeah, and I shouldn't have been. Long story, not a story for tonight." I said, crossing my legs as I set back. Owen nodded, dropping the subject, before walking inside.

Owen had grilled steak tips and peppers, which were phenomenal. For a single guy, he could cook well. I was extremely impressed.

We shared dinner over laughs, him catching me up with all the stuff that went on while I was back home, me telling him all the freaking out my family did about me moving here. Owen also showed off his reflexes, opting to catch a steak tip out of the air if I tossed it, so I did and he caught it in his mouth with ease. I told him he was spending way too much time with the raptors.

So now we sat on the porch swing, my legs draped over his as he sipped a beer and I sipped my water.

"I must say, Grady, I'm impressed," I said, winking. "I never took you for the romantic type, planning out dates."

Owen laughed, taking a swig of his beer. "Barry helped me out a bit with the set up, but everything else was all me, sweet cheeks.". The raptors calls could be heard faintly across the lake, it almost sounded like they were calling for Owen.

I sat up, removing my legs off of his, shifting to get into a comfortable position. "I have to ask, is it hard being an alpha?" I asked suddenly.

Owen's eyes drifted to mine. He shrugged, taking another sip of his beer before placing the empty bottle on the ground, next to the porch swing. "I mean, sometimes. You have to love it, on all the good and bad days. Every bond with each animal is different."

I nodded slowly, chewing my lip as I looked out across the water. I could feel Owen's eyes on me. "I'm kind of frightened and thrilled all at the same time." I confessed after a moment or so of silence.

Owen chuckled, draping his arm around my shoulder and pulling me closer. "Don't worry. You're raising your kids from the get go. It's just like being a parent really, one step at a time and eventually, you'll find something that works," he said, placing his finger under my chin and tilting my head up. "I promise, you will be kick ass at being an alpha. You already got me in a trance, you'll get the sabres into one as well.". I smiled, closing the small gap between us, as my lips met his.

* * *

Hello all! I'm SO sorry for this being so short. I wanted to get a chapter up as I have college orientation for the next two days and won't have my laptop there :( I kept you all waiting long enough.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Like I had mentioned, they keep me driven to pump these chapters out as quick as possible.

This was pretty fluffy between Owen and Logan, I think I wrote it a little too soft for Owen. Let me know if you think I'm not quite writing close to his character.

So Thursday night when I come home from orientation, I will nap and work on a nice long chapter for you lovely people! That should be up around Saturday afternoon/night.

Thank you so much again :) enjoy!


	6. Chapter 6

After our date, I had helped Owen clean up before he insisted on walking me home. It was late, around twelve thirty, and both of us needed to be up early the following morning. After yet another kiss goodbye, he had left and I watched him walk down the rocky trail. I definitely fell for him much faster than I had wanted to.

The next morning, I had woken up early and showered. Dressing myself in shorts, a tank top, and an old denim shirt I deemed my outfit work appropriate for the heat. Today I was supposed to go see the embryos for the first time, and I was so excited I was ready to throw up.

Locking my house, I trotted down the steps and into my SUV, placing my bag and two old shirts on the passenger seat. Sticking the key in the ignition, I cranked the AC and took a minute to sit there. I took a deep breath, resting my head against the head rest, closing my eyes. Everything I had ever dreamed about was happening. The animals I had fallen so in love with over the past twenty three years were all around me, and a pretty great guy was just as interested as me, as I was in him. A huge smile spread across my face, my life was literally a dream come true.

The revving of a motorcycle brought me back to my sense as I watched Owen peel out of the trail, stopping for a minute. I grinned, beeping the horn and waving at him. He returned it before revving the engine once more, taking off down the dirt road, clouds of dust following him.

Clicking my seatbelt into place, I took the car out of park and reversed out of my make shift driveway, following Owen towards the park roads. Driving slowly, and in silence, I took in my surroundings.

The canopy of trees was enough to make the surrounding area a little dark, but bright sunlight shone through. Birds of every color and size flitted through the tree tops, singing their sweet songs. Bright colored flowers dotted the greenery here and there, pulling the scene together. It was absolutely beautiful.

A bright flash of blue caught my attention in the greenery, making me slow the G-Wagon down even slower. I wondered if it was a blue macaw, but something told me that the chunk of color I had seen was too large to be a parrot. An uncomfortable feeling of being watched washed over me, making me lock the doors of my car and pick up speed down the dirt road. I did not like that feeling at all. Pulling into the sunlight and onto a paved road, I felt much better seeing other cars of fellow employees on the road. I took a deep breath, brushing off the creep feeling, and merged onto the road towards the Creation Lab. Today, I would be seeing the sabre cubs for the first time. It was only a matter of time before they were born and the real fun began.

* * *

Scanning my ID Card, the glass doors to the laboratory slid open, I took this opportunity to welcome myself in and walk through the lab. A confused male, probably my age or a year younger raised an eyebrow at me.

"Excuse me? Only authorized people are supposed to be in here." He said, an eyebrow raised. I rolled my eyes, flashing my ID Card.

"Good thing I'm the sabre keeper and head of the sabre research program!" I exclaimed sarcastically, folding my arms. "Can you tell me where Doctor Wu is?" I asked, glancing around at the white sterile room I was in.

"Right through those doors, scan your card." The guy mumbled, pointing towards stainless steel doors that had a slightly menacing look to them.

I did as I was told, and as I entered the room a cool burst of air ran over my body before an animated voice told me to 'Proceed forward'. Stepping forward, the doors shut and I looked around me. There was Mister Masrani, Claire and Doctor Wu waiting for me.

"I'm always late, aren't I?" I whispered to myself. Claire caught onto my question and nodded; "Yes, Logan, you are. Had you not been out with Mister Grady until quarter of one this morning, maybe you wouldn't have been." She said, her voice icy. Claire hadn't had an attitude with me since the first day I arrived, and how the fuck did she know I was out with Owen?

"I apologize greatly, I stopped because I saw some huge blue figure in the forest but I think it was just a large macaw." I said, which caused Mister Masrani to raise an eyebrow.

"How big, Doctor Logan?" he questioned, folding his arms over his chest.

I shrugged, holding my hand up to my head to show measurement. "Maybe yay high? I was driving though so the color was probably drawn out."

He shrugged, turning to look at Doctor Wu. "Doctor Wu, would you like to show Logan the cubs?" he asked. Doctor Wu nodded, motioning for me to follow him. I took my place right behind him, with Claire and Mister Masrani following close behind me as we walked down a corridor and into a dark room. It reeked of a mixture between a hospital and a barn.

"What is this…. smell, Doctor Wu?" Claire's voice came as she covered her nose. Mister Masrani followed suit, pulling his handkerchief out of his pocket and placing it over his nose and mouth.

"To mimic the scent of a den that most big cat cubs would be born in." Doctor Wu answered, flicking on the lights.

And there they were, my sabres. There were five oval shaped containers that were hooked up to a machine, with a silicon tube at the bottom of the container. Inside was a murky white liquid, and I could just make out the colors and shapes of the sabre cubs.

My hand shot to my mouth, covering it. "Oh, my God." I whispered, taking my phone out to capture a picture. Four of the cubs were roughly the size of a housecat, with one just a bit smaller. From left to right their colorings seemed; black, a dark brown, a milk chocolate color, a gray and I believe a white cub. The smallest one was the one all the way to the right, the white one. Doctor Wu grinned, looking at my expression.

"Are they up to par, Doctor Malcolm?" he asked, leaning against the wall. I laughed, a scoff escaping my lips as well. "Absolutely, Doctor Wu. Absolutely."

"They're all female, as all of our assets?" questioned Claire, typing away on her tablet. Doctor Wu nodded in confirmation.

I studied the containers, walking closely as I spoke softly to each one. "Hey little one," I whispered, placing my hand on the glass, "I cannot wait to meet you."

Mister Masrani chuckled, coming closer to the containers. "You sound like an expectant mother, Logan."

"I feel like one." I laughed, looking at him briefly before locking my eyes on the last container with the white cub.

"Doctor Wu, any particular reason this one is smaller?" I asked, not tearing my eyes away from the small movements that could be seen through the murky, white liquid.

"As with each pregnancy, some cubs get more nutrients, some get less. She should be healthy at birth. It's just how the chemicals and proteins were dispersed." His voice came.

I rolled my eyes. Here they were, resurrecting millions of year old animals, and they were worried about mimicking a typical pregnancy. Sometimes these scientists made no sense to me.

"They should be ready to go in about a week or two, we will induce a mimic labor on September twelfth." Doctor Wu continued. I nodded in understanding, my mind was blown.

* * *

The rest of my day was spent at the enclosure, walking around it and looking at the details. I had asked for them to put a small pond in, I wanted these cats to try and catch fish.

I was bent over, placing strips of my old T-shirts around the enclosure when I heard an all too familiar voice. "Hey Malcolm! Nice ass!"

I shot up, turning around in the direction of Owen's voice. My eyes met his and I flipped him off. "What a way to treat a lady!" I said, rolling my eyes as I jogged across the clearing to meet him. "Get out of my habitat though you're going to stink this place up with the stench of your reptiles." I teased, pulling him out of the open doors with me.

"Hey, my raptors would kick these little furry bastards' asses all up and down this enclosure." Owen chuckled before pressing his lips to mine. I kissed him back a few times, reluctantly pulling away as my excitement got the best of me. "Wanna see it from the catwalk?" I grinned.  
"Only if you get those soft lips back here."  
I smiled, complying with his wishes as I pressed my lips to his. One hand rested on his chest with the other wrapped around his neck, raising myself on my tiptoes. Owen's hands went to my waist, pulling me closer before he detached his lips from mine.

"After you." He smiled, gesturing his hand out for me to lead the way.

Taking his lead, I jogged up the stairs with him close behind as we came to the top of the catwalk. "So it's kind of high up because considering their DNA make up, they'll be able to jump pretty high." I said, walking out and turning around to face him.

"What are they made up of?" Owen questioned, looking across the enclosure.

"Mmmm, obvious Sabre DNA. For the missing links there's lion, jaguar and cougar. At least that's what Doctor Wu told me." I answered, resting my elbows on the railing and looking out across the enclosure, it was large. But it was perfect enough for five of them.

"You come up with names yet?"

"No, actually. I have to think of them. Wu is inducing whatever 'labor' means to him, on September twelfth." I said, standing up right and looking over at Owen. His eyes met mine and I smiled at him. "What do you think?" I asked.

"Name them whatever you think fits them." He offered.

"Should I have a theme like you? Mister Phonetic Alphabet?" I teased, a smile gracing my face as Owen shot me a playful glare.

"Oh shut up, you're just jealous of my brilliant ideas." He scoffed, nudging my shoulder with his.

"Oh I'm so sorry, did I hurt Mister Raptor man's feelings?" I giggled.

"I'm gonna get you." Owen warned, laughing as I shrieked and took off down the steps. He was quick and right after me as we ran around my car and his motorcycle.

"I swear, Malcolm, when I catch you, you're going to be tickled until you piss your pants." He threatened playfully as I laughed and paced behind his motorcycle. I took off running, and he caught me, his hands finding their way to my sides and tickling my ribs.

I'm extremely ticklish, so of course I erupted into laughter.

"Owen….please…stop!" I gasped through fits off laughter and giggles. "I'm…sorry!" I squealed out. Owen chuckled, continuing to torture me with his unforgiving tickles.

"Nope, you're going to pay for this.". Our laughter mixed together, my screeches occasionally popping up as he tickled sensitive spots.  
"Am I interrupting something?" came Claire's cold voice. Owen stopped, and my giggles ceased as I stood up straight.

"Uh no, we were just-"

"Yeah, kind of." Owen interjected, his arm never leaving my waist as he pulled me a bit closer to him.

Claire raised an eyebrow, looking from me to Owen. "And just what was I interrupting, Mister Grady?"

"Personal business, and I do believe it is after work hours, Claire." He said, looking at her. "So, what brings you to the sabre enclosure?"

Claire rolled her eyes at Owen, her gaze turning to me. "Doctor Malcolm, we were informed of your, what can I call this-habits."

My heart surged, my face going red. "Claire, can we not have this conversation right now?" I asked, my anxiety rising. I did not need her addressing this in front of Owen.

"Well, I'm letting you know that certain, well services are available to you in case you find yourself falling back into them."

I was infuriated. Claire and I were supposed to be good friends, why was she bringing all of this up in front of Owen. "Yeah, thanks. Have a good night, Claire." I sneered, walking away from the two of them and up the cat walk to look over the enclosure one last time. I silently prayed that Owen would leave, but my prayers were not answered as I heard his footsteps coming up the stairs, along with the sound of Claire's car rolling over the gravel, driving away.

"You good?" came Owen's voice as he stood next to me.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Yeah, just stuff like that is uncalled for, especially when it's coming from someone you were counting as your friend, you know?" I questioned, looking up at him.

"Can I uh, can I ask what that was about or are you too uncomfortable?"

I sighed, looking away from him. "It's a sensitive topic that I'm not quite ready to share with anyone yet, I mean except for management now obviously. I'm sorry."  
Owen nodded, pulling me into his chest as he kissed the top of my head. "Hey, don't worry about it."

* * *

I had gone home after that whole fiasco with Claire and Owen. Owen had left a few minutes before I did, and I drove home quickly. After showering and settling onto my living room couch, I took a minute to appreciate the silence around me so I could think for thirty seconds without interruption. I wasn't sure if I was agitated or sincerely hurt by Claire's actions earlier. I sighed, looking around my house. Maybe my father was right, maybe I wasn't ready for all of this.

I was pulled from my thoughts as my phone started ring. I groaned, glancing over to see who it was.

 **Alan Grant**

Raising an eyebrow, I grabbed my phone. I hadn't heard from Doctor Grant since my last dig site with him, a week after I returned home from my first trip here.

"Alan!" I greeted, holding the phone to my ear. "How are you?" I asked.

"I'm great Logan, how are you? How is the island?" came Doctor Grant's voice. He and I were very close, he was my mentor all throughout college and even now. When I had first told him the news of me employed here, he was like my father and very cautious. But unlike my father, Alan warmed up to the idea fairly quickly, because twenty something years ago, he was in the same state of awe that I was. He understood what it was like to have the opportunity to work with animals you've been fascinated with for the entire span of your lifetime.

"I'm good. The island is great, a little warm for my liking but nothing I can't manage." I said, fiddling with the hem of my pajama shorts.

"The humidity will only get worse, hon." Alan chuckled. "Have the sabretooths been birthed yet? What's the process in that?" He asked.

"Nope not born yet, sometime in mid-September they will be. They're incubating in a glass womb it seems, with a silicon tube out of the bottom. Doctor Wu exclaimed that's the birthing canal. I'll be there when they're born so we can form a bond." I explained, getting up to lock my door.

As I looked out the French doors, I could have sworn I saw a flash of blue on the other side of the electric fence, and I stood at the door, watching for any signs of movement. I thought I had seen another flash of blue inching closer around the outskirts of the neighborhood perimeter, but I decided not to look too much into it. I was too tired and drained to deal with my mind playing with me tonight.

"Doctor Wu?" Alan practically spat.

I laughed lightly, "Funny, my father had the same reaction. Yes, Doctor Wu. He seemed a bit better when I told him about my family."

"Yeah, he was not a fan of your father or I. He gives you any shit, I'll kick his ass."

I laughed, double checking the locks and turning lights off as I went upstairs. I had an overwhelming feeling of paranoia, and I absolutely hated it  
` "Thank you Alan, I'll be sure to utilize that threat." I said, entering my bedroom and settling down onto the bed.

"Hey- how does he look by the way? He's only about ten years younger than your father." Alan questioned.

"Not bad at all actually, I'd give him like mid to late forties." I opined, laughing.

"Damn it. Of course. First he plays God with dinosaurs, then himself." He groaned, sending me into a fit of laughter.

"I just wanted to call and tell you that I'm very proud of and happy for you, Logan. I know I, I'm sure all of us actually, seemed bitter and mad. But we're accepting it and thrilled for you."

"Thank you, Alan. That means a lot. I know everyone was bitter because they were concerned but I'm doing good, I think. I really think this place is great." I hummed, blinking back the ocean of hot tears threatening to spill over my waterline. It felt good to know that I was making people, especially these people I considered my family, proud.

"I'm glad. When your family is out there, maybe Ellie and I will come visit you all for a few days." Alan suggested.

"I would absolutely love that Alan, that would be so amazing." I said, grinning.

"Alright, we'll talk more about this later. This old man has to get to bed. Email me pictures once your cubs are born, and it also does not hurt to call me first." He joked, laughing slightly.

"Alright Alan, thank you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

The line went dead and I placed my phone on the charger before getting up to close my blinds and curtains and going into my bathroom. I wet my tooth brush, squirting some toothpaste onto it before shoving it in my mouth and scrubbing at my teeth.

Turning around, I leaned against the sink tile. I could not shake the feeling of paranoia, I wondered if it was because I was slightly homesick or if something was actually wrong.

The sound of very heavy footsteps on my wooden terrace brought me from my thoughts. I froze in mid brush, pausing to listen for more. They did not fail to continue. I stuck the toothbrush between my teeth and clamped down, grabbing the decorative vase the sat on the bathroom counter, and my phone off the bed, I set off downstairs.

I carefully balanced my weight so I wouldn't make noise and padded into the front of the house, taking a deep breath and mentally preparing myself before pulling aside the curtain. The lack of light did not help me, but I saw movement. I heard it too.

Shaking, I unlocked my phone and went to the first person I knew I could count on- Owen.

 _Owen something is on my porch and it sounds big, please come over if you're awake because I am petrified._

I set my phone to vibrate, praying he would answer. The heavy footsteps padded back and forth on my terrace, inching closer to my door. Heavy breathing accompanied the noise, so I knew that whatever this was, was not human. It almost sounded like this thing was making clicking noises, and they inched closer and closer as the seconds went by. I was terrified and thinking the worst, something had escaped.

Suddenly, the sound of a motorcycle piqued my attention and scared off whatever was on my porch, as I heard the large footsteps take off quickly. I quickly set the vase down on the stand and threw my door open, to find Owen there like a knight in shining armor in a long sleeve shirt and basketball shorts with sneakers on, I had never seen him in anything besides work clothes and frankly, this outfit was very attractive on him.

"Either you're crazy, or I am. Because I do not see a thing on your porch, babe." Owen said, taking off his motorcycle helmet.

I threw myself forward, wrapping my arms around him. "Owen, I swear to God. Something was on my porch. I was on the phone with Doctor Grant and and and then went into the bathroom and I was-"

"Brushing your teeth?" Owen said, motioning to the toothbrush in my hand. I blushed sheepishly, stepping back to allow him in before shutting the door. Walking over to the sink, I rinsed my mouth quickly before continuing.

"Yes, that. And then I heard these footsteps and they were huge like huge. So I took that vase and went downstairs but it was coming for my door so I texted you and then it heard your bike and took off." I babbled, running my hands through my hair nervously. "Do you think something got out?"

Owen chuckled, pulling me into a hug. "If something got out, we would have heard about it. Don't worry." He said, rubbing my arms. His touch and hugs were comforting, easing my nerves and anxiety about whatever that was. "I think your father and Doctor Grant might have just gotten to you a bit, Log."

I frowned, looking up at him. "No, Owen, I'm serious. We need to tell someone". My legs and hands were shaking, I was clearly scared. I was not one to be scared easily.

"Okay, okay. I believe you. I'll tell ACU to check perimeters of the island and enclosures." He said, kissing my forehead. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, dialing the ACU hotline.

I bit my lip, walking over to the couch and sitting down. My hands wouldn't stop shaking. I had never been so petrified of something in my life. And I didn't even see anything.

"ACU is gonna do rounds now." Came Owen's voice as he walked into the room. I looked up, my eyes meeting his.

"Thank you." I sighed, getting up and walking closer to him. "I just don't have a good feeling that that was, well friendly. It was heavy and was breathing heavy and making these clicking noises."

Owen raised an eyebrow, "Clicking?"

"Something like that, I don't know. I did not like it, at all."

Owen sighed pulling me into him. "Well don't worry. ACU is going around now, you're alright." He soothed, trying to still my shaking body.

"Is it too much to ask you to stay at least until I fall asleep?" I asked, biting my lip as I looked up at him.

"Is this your trap to seduce me and make me yours?" he winked, chuckling. I laughed, shaking my head.

"No, this is me being petrified and wanting you to stay." I said, looking up at him. Owen pressed his lips to mine quickly before moving to kiss my forehead.

"Of course."

I smiled, locking my doors once more before heading up the stairs. Owen followed carefully, his steps right after mine.

I led him into my bedroom, sliding into my side of the bed. "Um, bathroom is right there. If this is too much, you don't have to-"

"Shut up." He said, rolling his eyes before climbing on top of the blankets, propping pillows up and leaning back against them.

Shutting the lights off, I turned on my side to face him, the moon light penetrated through my blinds just enough to cast a small bit of light across my room.

"Owen?'

"Hmm?" he hummed, his eyes never opening.

"Did you call me babe?" I teased.

"Yeah, I did," he confirmed. "Good night, babe."

* * *

Hello all! Orientation was amazing, but I could not wait to get home and get this out for you all. The amount of reviews, favorites and follows is kind of amazing for me publishing this for just a little over a week ago. So, thank you:)

I'm sorry if this isn't as long as you were hoping but I am in the process of writing another chapter, hopefully to be out Saturday. But we will see :)

Let me know what you think is freaking Logan out so bad, and also let me know what you think Claire was talking about. I have so much planned for this story and I am SO excited for it to pick up.

As always, if you see something faulty, let me know. It is SO appreciated and allows me to correct it so it's better for the both of us.

Thank you again

xoxoxoxoxo


	7. Chapter 7

The sunlight streamed through my blinds, right into my face. I groaned softly, mornings were not and never will be my favorite time of day.

I extended my body, stretching as I heard the pops and cracks of my joints.

"What are you, ninety?" came Owen's groggy voice, making me jump. I had forgotten he stayed over after last night's events.

I opened my eyes, to see Owen on his side looking at me with one eye open. "You should seriously get that shit checked out." he said, rubbing his eyes.

I laughed, going to get up before Owen's arm was in front of me lightly pushing me back down. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked, pulling me closer to him.

"Well considering we aren't even official and you've already slept over, I figured maybe I could do one thing right and at least spare you my morning breath." I responded, laughing lightly.

"What is with women and official titles?" he questioned, groaning as he propped himself up on his elbow to look down at me. "One; I think you and I both, along with basically everyone on this Island, know that we have something. We're basically together and I will admit I have called you my girlfriend to Barry," he began, looking into my eyes. "And two; morning breath is incredibly sexy. It just gets me going." He finished, smirking.

I rolled my eyes, looking up at him. "Girlfriend, huh?" I winked.

"I mean, if you see fit. I only saved your life last night from that big scary monster on your porch, made you dinner."

I smiled, propping myself up an elbow and pressing my lips to his. Owen's other hand went to the back of my skull, pulling me closer. Our lips meshed together perfectly, the scruff of his mustache and beard lightly scratching my face.

"I think I can learn to agree to that." I mumbled against his lips as he chuckled, his body flush against mine.

Owen's hands roamed down to my waist, rolling over and pulling me on top of him as he did so. I was now totally straddling him as his hands rested on my rear.

His lips travelled from mine to my neck, lightly biting and sucking as he went along, earning gasps from me. This boosted his ego and a smirk graced his face.

"Watch it Grady." I warned, pulling back slightly. "Make me, Malcolm." He challenged.

* * *

The rest of the weekend(and rest of that following week) I had spent with Owen, partly because we couldn't keep our hands off each other. But also because I was petrified of whatever rested on my porch, would return when he wasn't there to be my knight in shining armor.

The next week approached quickly, and I was exhausted but the anticipation over the cubs kept me going throughout the day. Only eight days before they were born. I sat in my office, a hidden part of the sabretooth enclosure, as I scrolled through the internet looking for names. I was tempted to name them after the girls from the Brady Bunch, or even something inspired by literature. I was stumped, I now understood why it took Kelly so long to pick out names for Malia and James before they were born, you wanted to make sure the names were absolutely perfect.

"Doctor Malcolm, your staff will be arriving in just a few days. Is there anything you'd like them to do once they arrive?" Came Claire's voice. I glanced up from my laptop, my eyes meeting hers. She was leaning against the door way and her face was stoic. She looked a little drained. As much as my mind was telling me 'no', my heart and conscience was telling me 'yes'.

I sighed, closing my laptop. "What's gotten into you Claire?" I asked, folding my hands and resting my chin on them, "We were great friends and we had great fun, then all of a sudden you were so bitter and you laid all my personal business out in front of Owen Is there like, a problem?"

Claire sighed heavily, striding over to my desk and sitting down in the chair in front of it. "You want the truth, Malcolm?"

I nodded, leaning back into my chair as I watched her.

Claire's lip trembled slightly before she bit it, looking down at her hands. "I never realized how much I cared for Mister Grady until I saw him caring that much for you.". My lips pursed immediately, I had no fucking idea what to say to her in this moment in time.

"Oh, Claire." I sighed, rubbing my temples. I had no idea how to break it to her that Owen and I were official, she was practically a ticking time bomb sitting in a beat up office chair right in front of me.

"I know you two are together and it was cruel and extremely infantile of me to just throw your addictions out there"- I winced at her word choice, "And I don't mean to be cruel. So I apologize deeply, both to you and Mister Grady. I know you both care about each other." She finished, looking into my eyes. I could tell she was searching for me to tell her that she could have him, but unfortunately, she was not getting that.

"Thank you, Claire. I'll uh be sure to let him know." I said slowly, nodding. "Please alert my staff members to enjoy themselves until the cubs are born."

Claire nodded, slowly getting up from her position. "I'm sorry Logan, honestly." She whispered quietly before the sound of her heels leaving the room granted me peace. I sighed, placing my face in my hands. Nothing was ever easy, but only a few weeks into this new job and I already had a boyfriend and people complicating our relationship. Life was a shitshow, to put it lightly.

* * *

Later that night, I had walked into my house to find Owen cooking. Shirtless.

"Well, hello there." I winked suggestively, kissing his cheek lightly as I passed by, walking over to retrieve a drink from the refrigerator. Scanning my options, I spotted an iced green tea and took that out, taking a sip before sitting on the counter.

"What's for dinner, babe?" I said, smirking. "I mean, besides you."

Owen chuckled, wiping his hands on a dish towel and placing himself in between my thighs as he kissed my neck. "Sweet and sour chicken stir fry, sound good?" he asked before biting my neck lightly. I hummed in approval, lightly tossing my head back in pleasure as my fingers laced through the hair on the nape of his neck.

Owen pulled away, returning to the oven as I huffed in frustration. "How was work?" I asked, leaning back against the cabinets and taking the moment to appreciate the scene in front of me. Never in a million years would eighteen year old me picture an extremely kind, caring and attractive guy, cooking for me in my kitchen.

"India's been a bitch lately. Whiskey and Foxtrot keep pacing the west side of the enclosure, obnoxious." He said, a hint of irritation in his voice. I giggled lightly, "Girls will be girls." I joked, extending my foot to kick his butt.

"Watch it, Malcolm." He warned playfully, holding up the knife he had in his hand. I laughed, taking another sip of my drink.

"What about you? How was your day?" he asked, stirring the contents of the frying pan. "It was good, I finally settled on names for the girls. My staff should be here in a few days. Claire visited me."

Owen froze, looking at me over his shoulder. "What did she want?"

I sighed, "Well she apologized for her infantile behavior. She had said that she acted out because she never realized how much she cared about you, until she saw how much you care for me."

Owen nodded slowly, turning the stove off before scooping servings onto dinner plates. We each grabbed one and I went to sit at the kitchen table, Owen grabbing a beer out of the fridge before walking over.

"Owen?" I questioned softly, causing him to look up at me as he set his plate down. "I know this sounds childish but you're not going to end us for her, right?"

He chuckled lightly, kissing my forehead before taking his seat. "No babe, I'm not. You have my word."

I smiled, placing a forkful of the stir fry into my mouth. "Jesus, Owen. This is delicious. Where did you learn to cook like that?" I asked, my eyes widening in amazement as I placed another piece of chicken into my mouth.  
"My lovely mother." He answered before shoveling a huge forkful into his mouth. I grimaced, shooting him a dirty look while he chuckled.

"Pig." I teased lightly, which earned me a dirty look from him.

As we wrapped up dinner, I stood at the kitchen sink doing dishes while Owen was in the bathroom showering. I sang quietly to myself as I picked up the sponge, tracing over the plate with it a few times as I watched the suds build up and then wash away underneath the stream of the faucet.

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night." I sang softly, glancing up from the dishes out the window. Sounds of heavy footsteps running around my house piqued my attention. They sounded identical to those I heard last week. A flash of blue darted into the foliage the second my head snapped up, and that familiar feeling of rising anxiety filled my body.

"Hey," Owen's voice came, making me jump. I whipped around, staring at him as my heavy breathing picked up. His face contorted from a smile to a look of concern as he raised his eyebrow, holding the towel around his waist.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking at me over. I was a mess, shaking and my breathing was heavy, I struggled to find my words. "Uh-uh yeah." I managed to squeak out. "Just saw something."

Owen raised his eyebrow, adjusting the towel slightly. In attempt to distract me from my anxiety, he asked: "I'm gonna go upstairs and change, want to watch a movie when I come back down?"

I nodded, flashing him a thankful smile and watched as he trotted up the staircase. Turning around, I returned to dish duty. However as I looked up every minute or so, I noticed a pair of yellow orbs glaring right at me from the jungle. I gulped, rinsing my hands and drying them before yanking the shutter down. I rushed to the doors, locking them, before wrapping myself in a blanket and plopping on the couch.

Owen came down the stairs moments later, raising his eyebrow at me. "Alright, Log, you're freaking me out. What's wrong with you?" he asked, hopping onto the couch next to me. He held his arms out, welcoming me to curl up into him. I accepted his offer, placing my head on his chest and my legs over his. He smelled so good, the scent of his body wash lingered on his skin.

"I don't know Owen, something is watching me." I said softly, my voice cracking as tears of terror welled up in my eyes. "I know you think I'm crazy, or that my dad and Doctor Grant have gotten to me, but I'm not and they haven't."

Owen sighed, hugging me closer to him and rubbing my arms. "What do you think is watching you? Another person?" he asked. I shook my head, pressing closer to him as shivers coursed my body. "No, I think it's a dinosaur, Owen."

He sighed again, clicking on the TV. "Babe, all the animals are in their enclosures. You are safe, I promise you that. And even if they weren't, they'd have to get through me." He said, winking.

"Oh, now THAT's reassuring." I teased, giggling as he tickled me in revenge.

"What are we watching for a movie tonight?" I asked, looking up at him as he scanned through the list of movies.

"Little bit of 'Forrest Gump' sound good?" He asked, looking down at me.

I nodded, and Owen kissed my nose softly. "Good, you had no choice either way. Life's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get." he said, with a horrible impression of Forrest Gump.

I rolled my eyes, smacking his chest before settling back into him, my eyes set on the TV, my ears keeping out for any unwanted visitors.

* * *

A phone call drew me out of my deep sleep. My phone was continuously vibrating and blaring an obnoxious ACDC song I had clearly picked to piss myself off. I glanced at the clock, 4:13 AM.

Owen stirred in his sleep, finally waking up. "Will you pick it up?" he grumbled, turning over in bed as he pulled the sheets over him.

Sliding the green phone icon, I held the phone wearily to my ear. "Doctor Malcolm." I greeted groggily, sitting up in bed.

"Doctor Malcolm! This is Doctor Wu's assistant, Parker. Please rush over here and bring a blanket or something with your scent on it. The cubs are moving down the birth canal rather quickly!"

I jumped out of bed. "I'll be there in ten minutes." I said before hanging up. I pulled on a pair of my jeans and Owen's flannel over my tank top. Rushing to pull on my hiker boots, Owen sat up at the ruckus I was making.

"Are you okay? What's going on?" he asked, one eye open as he rubbed the other. "The cubs! They're going to be born tonight!" I grinned, finally tying my boots. Owen jumped up, pulling on his pants and t-shirt, grabbing his phone along with mine. I trotted down the stairs to my laundry closet, dropping down into a squat as I searched frantically for a blanket.

I spotted an old blanket that sat in my closet underneath my pile of dirty clothes , grabbed it and shot up from my squatting position. "Babe! Where are my keys?" I called, although I could hear Owen coming down the stairs. "I got 'em." He responded gruffly. I grinned, practically dragging him out of the house, locking the doors and then hopping into my SUV. Words could not even describe my feelings.

Starting it up and flicking on my high beams, I buckled and waited until Owen was secured in as well before I slammed on the gas, speeding off towards the road that would take me to my babies.

I had arrived just in time as the first cub, the all black one, popped out of the birthing canal. Immediately I held her and rubbed her clean of the mucus, placing her gingerly on the blanket of mine. Next to be born was the light milk chocolate colored cub, then the gray, then the dark brown. And then last, but certainly not least, was the all-white cub. Owen stood outside the room, recording videos of me becoming a mom.

I was so overwhelmed by excitement and awe, I even began crying as the five cubs lay in between my legs, huddling towards each other for warmth. Like most felines, they were blind but would begin to see in a few days.

I sniffed, holding the gray cub close to me as Owen, Doctor Wu, his assistant, and a very tired looking Mister Masrani beamed behind the glass.

I kissed the gray cubs head before setting her down with the rest of her sisters. I cleared my throat, knowing the intercom was in place. "Doctor Wu, I think these girls are ready to eat." I said, my voice shaky from the tears I had just spilled.

"Sure thing Doctor Malcolm." He nodded, and after a few moments he rolled in a contraption about the size of a mini fridge. It had a large, translucent bag with a beige colored substance inside of it, there were five tubes coming out of that bag and into silicon nipples.

"The formula is following everything you had specified, although we did slip in a small amount of probiotics to promote health." He said, looking at me. I looked up at him, grinning as I wheeled it closer to the cubs and I. I set the nipples out over my legs so it would be a similar experience to actually nursing from a mother for them. The little white cub was the first to sniff out the food source and began suckling, her sisters following her lead.

"So, momma," came Owen's voice as he leaned against the doorway. I beamed over at him, stroking the dark brown one's coat. "What do you have for names?"

"Oh, yes, what do you have for names?" came Mister Masrani's voice.

"Parker, write these down." Doctor Wu said, motioning to his assistant. Once his assistant returned, I gingerly placed my hand on the dark brown cub's back. "Her name's Lennon," I began, waiting until the assistant wrote it down. My fingers grazed over the black cub, "Jude." I said, with a smile. "This is Penny." I said, smiling as I stroked the milk chocolate cub's fur next. "Eleanor." I declared, motioning to the gray cub. "And this little one," I smiled, looking down at the white cub. She was smaller than all her sisters but clearly already smart and ahead of the game. "This is Lucy." I finished, looking up to the other four people who were smiling at me.

"Where did you come up with those names?" asked the assistant, Parker.

"Inspired by The Beatles. You know: John Lennon, their songs Hey Jude, Penny Lane, Eleanor Rigby, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds?" I smiled, my eyes not leaving the cubs as I watched them suckle themselves into a deep sleep.

"Beatles fan, huh? I would have never known." Mused Owen. "You can thank my father for that one, all we ever listened to growing up." I chuckled.

Mister Masrani departed, claiming he was going back to bed. The assistant ran to put the names, weights, and time of birth in the system. Doctor Wu stood at the back of the room, taking notes. Owen sat on a stool watching me, as I was laying on my side on the floor with all of the cubs cuddled up next to me.

"Hey babe, smile. I want to send this to your family." Owen said, drawing my attention to the camera as he held it, ready to take a selfie of the seven of us. I grinned widely, and he snapped the photo.

"Kelly, Mother and Dad?" he asked, reading from my contacts. "And Billy." I said, propping my head up with my arm. "It's like we just had a baby." I said, laughing as our eyes met.

"Mm, yeah no." Owen said, his voice an octave higher than usual, causing me to giggle. This disturbed Eleanor's sleep and she got up, making the point to shove her rear end in my face before settling down, facing the other way as she fell back to sleep.

"Diva." I scoffed, my eyes travelling to meet Owen's.

"Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, hon." He smirked, sitting back.

* * *

There it is! The cubs were born! :-)  
What do you think of the names? I'm a huge Beatles fan so I had to incorporate a little of that into Logan as well ;-)

I know you're all like "kayla wtf are you doing theres so much drama going on in this story right now", but trust me the plans I have for this story are insane. I'm so excited.

As always, thank you SOSOSO much for the reviews. I love your feedback and thoughts so please feel free to send them in!

Thanks for reading

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo


	8. Chapter 8

I had spent the rest of the day at the lab, feeding the cubs and resting with them. Owen left around seven to get to his raptors, Doctor Wu left shortly after that to check on the development of triceratops embryos, so the assistant was left watching me through the glass window.

Hours had passed but I was still there, caring for my girls. I looked around at all the other cats as I cradled Penny in my arms.

They were the most precious things on earth, and they were basically my kids. I smiled, looking down Penny's twitching muzzle. She must have been dreaming because her muzzle went from a twitch, to a sneer, and then to a calm twitch again. I laughed lightly, kissing her nose before setting her down in between my legs.

They didn't do much but sleep or eat, but I could tell they were gaining their eyesight rather quickly. The assistant had made a point that because they were genetically engineered, they would grow much faster than an average animal.

"Doctor Malcolm, I don't mean to tear you away from the cats, but we do have to do vaccines and you should go home and rest." Came Doctor Wu's voice, causing me to look up.

"What time is it?" I asked, stroking Eleanor's belly.

"It's eight PM, Mister Grady called and said to kick you out because he's coming to get you for dinner and a shower. His words, and I quote, "She probably smells like cat piss so tell her get ready and I'll be there in ten minutes to take her home" end quote." He answered, leaning against the doorway. I laughed lightly, looking back at the cats.

"Yeah, that sounds like Owen." I smiled, kissing Eleanor's nose before moving to Lucy's.

"I'm sorry if I'm intruding, but you two are together, correct?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah." I confirmed, placing my last kiss on Jude's head before standing up and walking over to the stool that held my things.

"I had thought so, you two seemed to have hit it off since well, day one." Doctor Wu said, adding a slight chuckle in at the end of his comment.

"Yeah, he's uh, he's great. I think he gets the passion I have for the cats so we work well together."

"If you don't mind me asking, how is Claire with all of this?" he asked. My eyes met his.

"Well, truthfully? I think she hates me for it and that's why she put some personal things out in front of Owen but she did apologize to me so I'm not too sure to be honest with you, Doctor Wu." I said quietly, biting my lip as I glanced back at the cats.

Doctor Wu nodded, his head turning to the opening metal doors.

"She ready? Or do I have to pry her off of the cats?" came Owen's voice.

I laughed, slinging my bag over my shoulder and grabbing my phone. Glancing at it, I had a missed call from Kelly and several missed text messages from her, my mother, father and Billy. "No, Grady. I'm ready." I said, glancing at the cats one last time before exiting the room.

"What time can I be here tomorrow?" I asked, looking at Doctor Wu. He laughed lightly, shaking his head. "We open at seven am, Doctor Malcolm." He answered.

"Great! So I'll be here at six thirty!"

* * *

When the weekend came, I was not happy. They had to sedate the cubs in order to give them vaccinations, and I wouldn't be able to see them until that following Monday morning when I would be introducing them to their new habitat.

Owen, however, loved all the free time I suddenly had and took it upon himself to schedule yet another date weekend for us. As if we hadn't had enough dates, he was practically living in my house already.

"Hey, babe!" he called from downstairs as I was getting out of the shower.

"I'm not getting back in the shower to have sex, Owen, the height difference doesn't work, and we've tried it before." I yelled back, wrapping a towel around myself. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you this!"

"Yeah, nope not what I was gonna say. Your uh, your parents are on the phone!" he said, appearing in the doorway of the bathroom. I nearly choked, my eyes practically bulging out of my head and my face turning the color of tomato. Owen found this hysterical, handing me my phone before silently cracking up, holding his stomach.

I snatched the phone out of his hand, glaring at him before pressing the phone to my ear.

"Mom! Dad! Hey, how are you!" I said, smacking Owen's shoulder before heading into the bedroom.

"Shower sex, huh sounds interesting." Came my mother's voice, laughing as my father groaned in the background in disgust. I groaned, flopping on my bed. Owen continued to laugh hysterically in the background. "You should've told me." I mouthed, flipping him off as he plastered an innocent look on his face.

"I seriously want to crawl into a hole after hearing that." My father said, his voice laced with disgust. "Oh Ian, you act like we haven't done it in the shower before." My mother retorted.

"UGH!" I exclaimed, nearly throwing my phone across the room. "Jesus Christ! I'm your daughter, oh my god I do NOT want to hear this."

My parents laughed. "So we wanted to call and tell you how adorable the cubs are." My mom gushed. "Yeah, wait until they're picking her muscle off her bones Sarah, we'll see how cute they are then." Grumbled my father.

"Oh, shut up Ian, you were just saying how cute they were." My mother said, I could hear the woman rolling her eyes through the phone.

"Hi, I'm still on the phone." I interjected, chuckling. "Oh! Right! Sorry, anyhow, congratulations." My mom laughed.

"Thank you mom." I laughed, placing them on speaker phone standing up to go pick out clothes. "Also, who is that very handsome man in the picture with you and your fur babies?" she asked, wonder in her voice.

"That would be my boyfriend, Owen, introduce yourself." I said, pulling on boy shorts and a sports bra.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm. I'm Owen, Logan's lovely boyfriend." He said, smirking as he watched me pull his sweatpants on over my underwear.

"Hello! Nice to hear about you because my daughter doesn't like to keep in touch with us!"

I laughed, "Sorry mom, I'm busy being a working woman!"

"Obviously not too busy to have shower sex!" she taunted.

Both my father and I shared a groan on that one. "Sarah, enough. Owen, how did you and Logan meet?" came my father's voice.

"I'm the velociraptor trainer here, we met in the lab the first day and hung out the whole first week she was here." He answered, looking over at me as I walked over to the bed. Picking my phone up, I sat in his lap, holding it out for both of us to hear.

"Oh lovely, he works with man eaters too!" my father said, sarcasm lacing his voice. "Match made in heaven."

I chuckled, kissing Owen's temple as he snaked his arms around me. His lips pressed to my neck and I pulled away quickly, giving him a stern look and mouthing: "Don't start while my parents are on the phone.". He just smirked at me, tracing my spine with his thumb, causing shivers to go up and down my body.

"Well we look forward to meeting you when we come visit Logan." My mom said, her voice too high. She was up to something.

"You're coming with Kelly, Billy and the kids in February, right?" I asked, flipping the phone between my fingers. "Yes love, we are." My father said, too quickly.

Raising an eyebrow, I stared at the phone. "What are you two up to?" I asked.

"Nothing Logan, quit being so paranoid!" Mom laughed. "Yeah, okay, when are you two ever not up to something." I said, rolling my eyes.

"Well, honey, you have a valid point." Dad said, I could hear him tipping a glass of whiskey as his way of saying 'touché'.

I giggled, "I miss you guys."

"We miss you too, Lola. Big time." Sighed Dad. "But we're happy for you!" interjected my mother.

"I know, I know." I said, smiling. Owen's hand squeezed my hip lightly before kissing my cheek.

"We're gonna let you two go. We miss you." Came my mom's voice. "Yeah, and don't forget to call us once in a while. You know you are my daughter and I like hearing from you!" exclaimed my dad.

"Well, that's what Kelly's for." I teased, laughing lightly. "Don't make me beat you," my father warned sarcastically. "Anyways, Log, we love you. Have a good, safe and abstinence filled night."

"I love you guys too. And that sentence goes for you both as well!"

With a laugh, the four of us said 'goodbye' before the line went dead.

I hung up my phone, tossing it onto the bed, before curling into Owen. "You okay?" he asked, placing a finger under my chin to lift my head up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just miss them I guess." I sighed, pushing my wet hair back over my shoulders. "I'm not even gonna lie, I'm a huge daddy's girl. My father and I used to see each other practically every day. Just different, you know?"

Owen nodded, kissing my cheek. "Of course babe, I know, must be a switch up."

I sat up, adjusting my body so I was sitting facing him. "And you! I could kill you! Why didn't you tell me they were on the phone you asshole?!"

Owen erupted into hysterical laughter, running his hand through his hair. "Oh god, that was gold. All I heard was your father going 'OH MY GOD' while your mom laughed." He said.

I laughed lightly, rolling my eyes. "You suck." I said, poking him in the chest.

"You swallow." He winked, smacking my butt. I gasped, shooting him a playful look; "You're disgusting and very immature my dear."

"You love it though, am I wrong?" Owen hummed, pressing his lips to the sensitive spot on my neck. I gasped lightly, tilting my head to the opposite side to allow him more access. "You are not, uh, wrong." I stuttered, closing my eyes.

"I know, I never am."

I rolled my eyes, "Shut up."

"Make me." He challenged.

My lips met his in a passionate hungry kiss, earning a small groan from Owen. I smirked in triumph against his lips, his tongue grazing against my lips. I opened my mouth, allowing him access as our tongues danced together.

Owen laid back slowly, taking me with him, before turning over so he was hovering above me. His hand went under my sports bra, causing me to gasp at his cool touch.

And from there, we had a night completely opposite of what my father ordered.

* * *

"Hey! Jude! Enough!" I scolded, running after the cub as she took my bag in her mouth, running towards the den inside the enclosure. It had been about six weeks since the cubs were born, and they grew so quickly it was hard to keep up. When they were born, they were roughly the size of house cats. Now, they were nearing the size of Labrador retrievers. They also had twice the energy as labs as well.

"Punny babe!" came Owen's voice from the catwalk. I looked up, shielding my eyes from the sun with one hand and placing one on my hip.

"Good one." I called before chasing after the cub. She was bound to outrun me, but she'd tire quickly. At least, I hoped she would.

"Jude." I groaned, flopping down to the ground. Lucy and Penny came over, laying on either side of me as they huffed. It was extremely hot out, even with it being six PM and the sun beginning to set. "Can you two go get my bag back from your sister?" I asked, placing a hand on their heads. Lucy looked up at me, cocking her head back and forth as if she tried to understand me. I laughed lightly, kissing the top of her head. "Thanks for the effort kid."

"You know they can't understand you, correct?" taunted Owen, looking down at us. Penny chuffed at him before laying down, placing her head on top of her paws. "Yeah, they can. That was her way of saying 'fuck you don't doubt my mom'." I called up, looking at him. Owen laughed, shaking his head. "Such foul language for such a pretty lady."  
"Yeah, kiss my ass, Grady."

"Uh- Logan. Your lovely troublemaker is ripping your bag to shreds." Owen said from his aerial position. I followed his eyes to Jude who was tearing my backpack apart with her teeth before settling to chew on the strap. I groaned, hoisting myself up. "Jude, come on what the hell. I named you all after a mellow band and you have the energy of a coked up humming bird." I complained, going over towards her.

I was met with a hiss to which I returned, hearing Owen's chuckle in the back. "Jude, drop it." I commanded, shaking my finger at her. She growled, dropping the strap of the bag before getting up and trotting towards her sisters. I rolled my eyes, huffing as I tried to gather up my bag, or for lack of better words- what was left of my bag.

An eerie yowl erupted from one cat, then two, and before I knew it all five were letting out a loud yowl. The hair on the back of my neck stood up in warning, and I carefully stood back up from my squat, thinking the cats' aggression was towards me. Turning around, their aggression was facing towards the southern wall of their enclosure.

"Owen, what are they growling at?" I called up, looking up to him.

"I'm not sure, I don't see anything." He called down, shrugging as walked over the section of the bridge that was above the girls. "Yeah babe they're just growling at the concrete wall, you must've gotten the defect embryos."  
Raising my eyebrow, I shoved the scraps of my back pack towards the door I always used to exit the cage and walked over towards the girls.

"That's not like them, they're brilliant. Don't insult my babies, asshole." I yelled, chuckling as I shook my head. Bursting through the foliage, I came to the clearing where the girls were pacing the wall. Lennon and Eleanor were scratching the wall, Jude yowling, Penny and Lucy hissing ferociously with their backs arched.

"Logan, they're extremely aggressive and agitated right now. Please do not approach them." Pleaded Owen, alarm coating his voice.

I rolled my eyes, placing my hands on my hips as I studied my girls. They heard or smelled something that clearly Owen and I could not. "Girls." I called, to which I was ignored.

"Lucy girl," I called again to the most obedient of the cats, hoping she'd answer me. She merely looked at me quickly before turning back to face the concrete wall that had and her sisters so worked up, the fur on her neck raised before bearing her teeth and hissing at the concrete wall again as she swatted her large paw in the air.

Frustrated at their disobedience, I looked up at Owen who just shrugged as he studied the girls before calling for Jude. None of them turned this time.

"Is there a bird or something up there?" I asked, trying to peer at the top of the cage. The girls were notorious for hunting birds or lemurs that sat on top of the enclosure, it was in their instincts and sometimes they just couldn't help themselves. But they would always stand down when I told them to.

"Nope, nothing."

Annoyed, I had had enough. Brushing my hands off on my pants, I placed the tips of my fingers at my tongue, pushing it back before I blew air, releasing an extremely loud whistle.

The girls behavior stopped, and they looked back at me. "Seriously ladies you are SO disobedient today. How many times did I have to-"

And that's when a bone chilling noise met my ears. A shrieking sound, one that sounded like a duck mixed with a train break. One that was loud enough and horrifying enough to stop anyone in their tracks. One that came from a raptor. I had heard this too many times to mistake it for anything else. Owen's eyes met mine as we shared a look of panic. He ran over to the side of the catwalk that hugged that wall, peering over the side.

"No fucking way." He gasped.

"What Owen?" I called, panicking as I ran underneath him, following him. Lucy followed me, standing in front of me as she hissed, a yowl mixed in here and there. She was in a protective stance, she was trying to protect me.

"Owen! What!" I called, my eyes scanning the wall. I could not keep calm for the girls, at this point I was totally panicking.

He slowly lifted his palm, showing it out to whatever was on the other side of my cat's cage. "Easy girl, easy." He said, and kept repeating it over and over. On the other side of the cage, coo's and quacks responded. What Owen said next would give me the world's worst anxiety, my heart literally dropped to my ass as Owen looked down to me briefly;

"It's Blue." He mouthed.


	9. Chapter 9

I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK FOREVER TO UPDATE. I had a lot to deal with this summer between figuring out school and working. I'm so sorry :(. Writer's block bit me in the arse as well so here is a small update for a few more days until I can get a great chapter out for you guys.

XOXOXO THANK YOU FOR STICKING WITH ME EVEN THOUGH I SUCK

* * *

"What!" I shrieked, causing the velociraptor's quacks to heighten, which further agitated the girls.

"Logan!" scolded Owen, shooting me a look full of warning before staring at the velociraptor. "Owen we have to call ACU." I said, my voice shaking as I watched him holding his palm out to the raptor.

"Are you crazy? They'll kill her!" he exclaimed, his eyes never leaving the raptor. "It's okay girl, eyes on me." He said, almost cooing.

"Are you crazy? She's a danger to you, to me, to the tourists, to my cats. We have to call ACU." I snapped, glaring up at him. I could not believe he was putting everyone in danger for a velociraptor, especially when he had four more, probably running after a pig in an enclosure ten miles down the road.

"Logan do not call ACU." Owen growled.

"I'm calling ACU, Owen. I'm not putting innocent lives in danger."

With a shared dirty look, I backed a few feet away from the clearing. Lucy and Eleanor followed me, pacing around me.

"Logan, do not call them." Came Owen's warning as I slowly picked up the radio that laid in the shreds of what was left of my back pack. I glanced at him, and he held a filthy look on his face. His eyes were burning, flicking between Blue and I.

Sucking in a breath, I bit my lip. "I'm sorry but I'm not putting everyone in danger."

"ACU, we have a 647g surrounding the Big Cats enclosure. All cats are accounted for. It's a velociraptor, and not from Owen's current pack."

"We have a w _hat_!" came Claire's voice over the radio system.

"This is not your business, Miss Dearing. Doctor Malcolm, should we send men out armed?" interrupted the commander's voice.

My eye's shot to Owen's. If looks could kill, I would be long gone by now. I sighed, clicking the radio button and raising it back level with my face.

"Yes, but please try to capture safely."

"Ten four, Doctor. Aerial will arrive in two, my team will arrive in five. Over."

I nodded, staring at Owen. "I can't believe you, Logan." He practically spat.

Suddenly, the girls' yowls heightened and Blue's quacks quickened. Jude and Lennon were attempting to climb the wall of the enclosure, failing miserably due to the cement sides.

Lucy stood in front of me, her back arched and ready to pounce. Eleanor was to my right, in the same stance. Penny was pacing the wall, she was the most silent but I could tell she was the most agitated of the group.

Suddenly, I heard a clang and saw a flash of blue out of the corner of my eyes. Looking up, Blue was on the catwalk. She was a few meters away from Owen, but her eyes were locked on me.

I gasped, and the radio dropped from my hands. This caused her to hiss ten times louder than I had ever thought possible.

"Stand down Blue!" commanded Owen. But his command was ignored as the clicks of Blue's claws came closer. She was practically right above me. Fear flooded my body, I was shaking and tears were threatening to spill from my eyes.

The five girls were in front of me, hissing and yowling at the raptor. Lucy's huge body backed into mine, knocking me on my feet as she practically covered me. I tried my hardest to take deep breaths, but the fear was paralyzing. This raptor was going to kill me.

"BLUE!" Owen yelled, only earning a hiss before Blue turned back to me. She turned her head side to side, getting a better look at me. I glanced to her hunting claw, it was raised. She was ready to attack.

"Owen," I cried, my eyes never leaving the raptors.

"Logan, baby, I'm gonna get her away. ACU is going to be here any second. I'm coming." He interrupted, slowly inching his way onto the section of the catwalk that was across from Blue. His voice was laced with panic, but he was trying to keep calm for me.

"Owen she's gonna get me." I cried, my chest rising and falling rapidly as my eyes never left the dinosaur's. She quacked, her head bobbing as she did so. "And if she does, I love you. I'm sorry for being such a pain in the ass but I really do," I sobbed. My hand flew to my mouth, trying to silence myself in hopes that if I was quieter, she would back off.

"Please take care of the girls. Do not let the park kill them." I cried. My fingers laced into Lucy's fur, these animals were my babies.

Blue let out another bone chilling call, and she hopped down into the enclosure. Lennon and Penny rushed forward, circling the large raptor as they roared and hissed at her. Blue hissed right back at them, crouching. She was going to attack them.

"DON'T YOU DARE." I shrieked, gaining her attention as she hissed at me. I stood up from my position, my endorphins flooding my system. I was a Malcolm, and when presented with 'fight or flight'. I wasn't flighting.

Lucy and Eleanor stood by my side, hissing and swatting their large paws at the cold blooded reptile in front of us. Blue's large head whipped to me, turning back and forth to get a look at me.

She let out a loud hiss, and a deep throaty growl erupted from her shortly after. A chill shot up and down my spine, but I was not backing down.

 _If I make it out of this and my father finds out, he will beat my ass_.

"Logan, what the FUCK are you doing!" whispered Owen. I could feel his eyes boring into my skull. But my eyes never left Blue's cold, dark ones. Her snout open and closed, snapping as she inched closer to the girls.

Closer to me.

All of a sudden, something shot through the air and landed on Blue's neck, causing her to release a shriek. She stumbled a few steps forward, causing the girls to charge, and she dropped.

My breath caught in my throat, and a flood of tears fell down my face. My legs shook, giving out and I collapsed onto the ground in utter hysterics. Lucy placed her head in my lap, and I hugged her large neck. I rested my head on hers, my tears falling onto her soft, white fur.

The rest of the girls seemed to take notice of how shaken I was, and they padded over one by one before laying down. My tears were constant, and my sobs were getting louder by the minute.

"Oh girls." I cried, looking at the five cats in front of me. "Thank you." I whispered before bursting into more tears and hugging Lucy even harder. Her long, rough tongue reached out from her mouth and she licked my forearm softly.

Owen's voice pulled me from my isolated world as I heard him yell;

"Let me into the fucking enclosure to see my girlfriend. Those cats are harmless."

"Doctor Malcolm, please send your cats in so we can enter and remove the unaccounted asset." Came the Director's voice. I sniffed, kissing Lucy's head.

"Girls, head to your den." I commanded, wiping my eyes, which really didn't do much as a river was practically pouring out of my eyeballs. I stood up slowly, causing them to follow my lead. They all got up, hesitant to go. "Girls, den." I said firmly, and the cats trotted towards their den on the opposite side of the enclosure.

I heard the sliding of metal doors and I looked up to see several ACU members rushing in towards Blue, and Owen rushing in towards me. His strong arms wrapped around my waist and hoisted me into the air, holding me. One hand snaked to the back of my head, and the other tightly held my waist. I could feel his chest rising and falling rapidly against mine.

"You are fucking insane." Owen said, his voice hushed. He was crying, or close to it at least. I sobbed quietly into the crook of his neck, hugging him to me. "I th-thought I was gonna be done for." I cried, hiccupping. "I would never let that happen to you, babe." He said, setting me down but never letting go. Pulling away from my grip, Owen brushed my hair out of my face and wiped a few tears off my cheeks before holding my face in between his hands.

"I love you, Logan Deborah Malcolm." He whispered, his eyes boring into mine. "And don't you _ever_ try to challenge a velociraptor again you fucking psycho."

* * *

Mister Masrani had given me a few days off after the raptor incident, but I still found myself back with the girls every single day. I refused to be away from them, especially now that they had the decency and intelligence to defend me against Blue.

Owen was waiting to hear news over whether or not they were going to euthanize Blue or allow him to keep her. I never wanted to wish death on an animal, but I did not trust that thing and I did not want Owen or anyone around her for that matter.

Sitting on the catwalk, I watched the girls below me as my legs dangled over the edge. If I looked a few meters to my right, I could see scuffs in the metal where Blue had been standing just days before. A shiver ran up and down my spine, causing me to shutter and close my eyes before turning away from it.

A phone call from my mother had pulled me from my thoughts. I hadn't told my family about the incident, and had absolutely zero plans to. They would rip me out of here regardless of how old I am.

Sliding my phone across the screen, I brought the cell phone to my ear. "Hello?" I greeted, looking down at Jude who was gazing up at me.  
"Hi baby!" came my mother's chipper voice.

"Hey, mom, how are you?"  
"Good, good. How are you, my soon to be twenty-four year old daughter?"  
I groaned, rolling my eyes. "I'm old Ma, we know this. You don't have to rub it in."

My mom chuckled, and I could hear her rolling her eyes. "Logan, honey, you aren't old. You are in the prime of your lifetime. And look at you! A director of a sabretooth program, smoking hot, own house, a good looking boyfriend, from what I've heard- a great sex life."  
"MOM!" I shrieked, laughing lightly. "You're insane, I can't deal with it."  
My mom laughed lightly, sighing into the phone. "Apple doesn't fall far from the tree my love."

"Anyways, what are you up to tomorrow?" she asked.  
I raised an eyebrow, getting up from my sitting position. "Mom, I live in Costa Rica. I can't just pick up and snag a coffee with you, remember?"  
"I know! I'm just asking what's up! Owen said you've got a few days off of work?"  
"Why are you talking to Owen?". My curiosity peaked, they hadn't met yet. There was no reason for them to be talking.  
"Facebook, I may have stalked your profile and added him." She said quickly, almost quick enough to make me question her sincerity.  
Rolling my eyes, I trotted down the stairs. "You're nuts, stop that. But yes I'm off until next Wednesday, however I'm always with the girls so it's basically just a regular work day."  
"Just like your father, you never know when to take a break!"  
"Says you." I chuckled, rolling my eyes as I wrote down instructions for the overnight crew.

"Watch it you." She teased. I smirked, scribbling down my last sentence. Setting the paper in plain sight, I looped my satchel over my head before grabbing my keys and heading out of the office.  
"Mom, can I ask you something?" I asked suddenly, opening the door of my car before sliding into the seat. I started it, letting the cool AC hit my face, sitting back in my seat.

"Of course Logan."

"Do you think I'm rushing things? With work, Owen, recovery?" I bit my lip, leaning my head back against the head rest.

"No baby, I don't. I think you're doing just fine for yourself."

"Are you just saying that? Because these feelings for Owen are out of this world and I love my job and my life is going great. But sometimes, I'm petrified. I'm scared of myself, of alcohol, of velociraptors escaping and eating me.". Panic filled my body and tears began to fall down my cheeks.

"Logan, baby, what's gotten into you?" exclaimed my mother who was trying her best to mask the sadness in her voice. I could tell she was alarmed at my sudden outburst, and she was on the verge of crying too.

"I'm scared mom, I am so scared." I sobbed, taking a few seconds to catch my breath. "God, it's just so hard trying to keep up with you guys. You and Dad are professors and authors, Kelly was an Olympic gymnast."

I sniffed, taking a small gasp of air. "I drank my first night here when I came for my interview. I can't even tell my boyfriend I'm an alcoholic." I wailed.

"Logan," cried my mom, a small sob leaving her voice. "Baby, you are amazing and you have way surpassed us. Your father, sister and I are so proud of you." She paused to catch her breath. "You drank, everyone slips up. Get back into meetings, or even just start reading the book again. But baby, what is wrong with you? Why are you scared?"

"I just had some prehistoric predator stalking me for weeks and it almost killed me, mom. It's like a fucked up metaphor for my alcoholism and failed sobriety." I cried, pushing my hair out of my face. I let out a few sobs, I couldn't control myself. It felt like an ocean of emotion was pouring out of me and I couldn't stop it.

"Mom, I'm such a failure. I don't deserve to be here." I cried, my hand sliding over my mouth as I attempted to cover my sobs.

"Logan Deborah! Do not talk like that. Of course you deserve to be there. You have worked so hard for everything you have and nothing will ever change that baby." She cried. I could hear the panic in her voice rising as she listened to me sob and hiccup.

"Logan, where is Owen?" came my mother's soft voice as she sniffled.

"I don't know, probably wondering where I am. Probably at home." I sighed shakily, my tears a constant river of hot, salty tears streaking down my cheeks.

"I think you need to have him come get you, can you text him for me?".  
"Mhm." I sniffed, wiping my eyes before placing her on speaker and tapping on Owen's contact.  
 **  
**" _ **Can you please come get me ASAP. I'm at the sabre enclosure"**_

"I texted him." I said softly, resting my head on the steering wheel. My mind was going in and out, focusing in and out of reality. I felt hot and clammy, my head spinning. I tried so hard to focus on my mother's voice, but I just could not rip myself from the daze. I could feel myself responding to her questions, but it was like my body was on auto-pilot. I had no control over what I was saying. A layer of sticky, sheen sweat coated my body. But I didn't care enough to adjust the AC. I didn't care enough to do anything really, I just wanted to sit here and fall asleep.  
A ding pulled me from my thoughts.

" _ **Be there in two minutes"**_

"He's on his way." I said. Rather, felt myself say. The words sounded like Charlie Brown's parents to me.

I felt my eyes beginning to roll back into my head, and I blinked several times to stop the uncomfortable feeling. But nothing was helping.

I felt my body sway in my seat as tunnel vision set in.

Once.

Twice.

And then I was out.


End file.
